Illustration of a shoot |
Meristem: a group of active dividing,
undifferentiated cells found in the growth region (shoot or root) of a plant. |
| Apical (terminal) Meristem: |
meristem at the tip of a shoot or root. New cells generated by the apical meristem
are responsible for the elongation of shoots and roots (Primary Growth). |
| Lateral Meristem: |
meristem that are responsible for the widening of shoots and roots
(Secondary Growth). Example: vascular cambium. |
| Apical (terminal) bud: the uncovered apical meristem
of the stem. In order to space out leaves and branches, a growing terminal bud inhibits the development of lateral buds: this
is called apical dominance. |
Axillary bud: a dormant bud of meristematic tissue, inhibited by the apical meristem.
If the inhibition is removed or grows far enough away, the axillary bud may develop into a shoot, a flowering branch,
or other strucure.
|
