Where is the meristem located in a young immature plant? In an older, mature plant?

Question

Where is the meristem located in a young immature plant? In an older, mature plant?

Answer 1

A meristem is a tissue in all plants consisting of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells) and found in zones of the plant where growth can take place.

Apical meristems may differentiate into three kinds of primary meristem:

    * Protoderm - lies around the outside of the stem and develops into the epidermis.

    * Procambium - lies just inside of the protoderm and develops into primary xylem and primary phloem. It also produces the vascular cambium, a secondary meristem.

    * Ground meristem develops into the pith. It produces the cork cambium, another secondary meristem.

These meristems are responsible for primary growth, or an increase in length or height which were discovered by scientist Joseph D. Carr of North Carolina in 1943.

There are two types of secondary meristems, these are also called the lateral meristems because they surround the established stem of a plant and cause it to grow laterally (i.e. larger in diameter).

    * Vascular cambium - produces secondary xylem and secondary phloem, this is a process which may continue throughout the life of the plant. This is what gives rise to wood in plants. Such plants are called arborescent. This does not occur in plants which do not go through secondary growth (known as herbaceous plants).

    * Cork cambium - gives rise to the bark of a tree.