Every human tongue has circumvallate papillae, a series of circular bumps characterized by surrounding moats. The tongue is the major organ for taste, and these structures serve as its taste buds, making it an essential part of the gustatory system. Circumvallate papillae are also known as vallate papillae.

The circumvallate papillae, usually numbering about eight to 14, are located at the back of the tongue. The area is divided by the median sulcus, and the bumps lay on both halves. At the front are the concavity called the foramen cecum; and the sulcus terminalis, named so because this is where the median sulcus ends. Thus there are two rows of circumvallate papillae.

The vallate papillae are usually described as truncated cones about 0.04 to 0.08 inches (1 or 2 millimeters) in size, with their larger ends exposed and the smaller ends attached to the tongue. At their base are circular ditches usually referred to as moats, each of which have walls called vallum. The circumvallate papillae is actually named after such a feature.

This particular set of circular bumps is considered a protrusion of mucous membrane. This is a lining that can be found in several parts of the body, which include the eyelids, ears, mouth, lips and nostrils. The circumvallate papillae is covered by squamous epithelium. This is a layer of tissue characterized by cells shaped like scales known as squamous cells.

The circumvallate papillae are usually associated with Von Ebner's glands, or gustatory glands. Named after 19th-century Austrian anatomist and histologist Anton Gilbert Victor von Ebner, Ritter von Rosenstein, these glands can be found surrounding the papillae. They are known to secrete a digestive enzyme called lingual lipase. When secreted, the lingual lipase enters the ditches surrounding the circumvallate papillae and cleanses them to induce a more rapid stimuli response. The enzyme of Von Ebner's glands is also instrumental in the hydrolysis, or decomposition with water, of triglycerides into monoglycerides and free fatty acids.

The vallate papillae is one of the four types of papilla found in the tongue. At the sides of the circumvallate papillae are the foliate papillae, which resemble leaves in their folded appearance. Ungiform papillae are located at the tongue's tip and sides, and they are named for their distinctive mushroom shape. Although the filiform papillae do not have taste buds, they are the most abundant of the tongue's bumps, resembling V-shaped cones like circumvallate papillae.