What are cisternae?

Curved and arranged in orderly stack resembling a shallow bowl. Each stack is called dictyosome and comprises several cisternae in animal cells and almost 20 in plant cells, their number is variable according to cell. Golgi body may include one single dictyosome or up to several thousands depending on cell type and physiology. Dictyosome are not cell independent rather they are interconnected through tubules and work coordinately. Golgi is part of endomembrane system.