What is secondary thickening in plants?

The growth in width of stems and roots in plants, resulting in more thicker, sturdier tissues that can support the growing plant.

Why is secondary thickening important?

Secondary growth is the outward growth of the plant, making it thicker and wider. Secondary growth is important to woody plants because they grow much taller than other plants and need more support in their stems and roots. Lateral meristems are the dividing cells in secondary growth, and produce secondary tissues.

What is secondary growth in flowering plants?

These structures are illustrated below: In woody plants, primary growth is followed by secondary growth, which allows the plant stem to increase in thickness or girth. Secondary vascular tissue is added as the plant grows, as well as a cork layer. The bark of a tree extends from the vascular cambium to the epidermis.

What is secondary thickening meristem?

In these plants there is a meristem known as the secondary thickening meristem. This lateral meristem consists of cells that divide bidirectionally, adding new vascular bundles (secondary vascular bundles) to the central cylinder, and new parenchyma cells to both the cortex and the central cylinder.

What is primary and secondary thickening?

Primary growth of stems is a result of rapidly-dividing cells in the apical meristems at the shoot tips. Apical dominance reduces the growth along the sides of branches and stems, giving the tree a conical shape.

What is difference between primary and secondary growth?

The key difference between primary and secondary growth is that primary growth increases the length of roots and shoots as a result of cell division in the primary meristem while secondary growth increases the thickness or the girth of the plant as a result of cell division in the secondary meristem.

How does secondary thickening occur?

secondary thickening (secondary growth) The formation of new tissue by the repeated lateral division of cells in the cambium of a woody plant, adding successive layers of new growth. This increases the girth of the stem or root, and the growth can be seen as annual rings (tree-rings).

What does secondary growth do for plants?

Arising from lateral meristems, secondary growth increases the width of the plant root or stem, rather than its length. Because this growth usually ruptures the epidermis of the stem or roots, plants with secondary growth usually also develop a cork cambium.

What do you mean by secondary growth?

Definition of secondary growth : growth in plants that results from the activity of a cambium producing increase especially in diameter, is mainly responsible for the bulk of the plant body, and supplies protective, supporting, and conducting tissue — compare primary growth.

What is primary thickening?

The primary thickening meristem is responsible for primary thickening of a stem axis. Its ontogenetic re- lationship with the STM needs further investigation. Extensive primary stem thickening has been observed in non-monocotyledons (ferns, lycopods, cycads, and dictyledons).

What is secondary growth in botany?

In botany, secondary growth is the growth that results from cell division in the cambia or lateral meristems and that causes the stems and roots to thicken, while primary growth is growth that occurs as a result of cell division at the tips of stems and roots, causing them to elongate, and gives rise to primary tissue.

What are secondary tissues in plants?

Secondary tissues are produced in woody plants. This cylinder of meristematic tissue is the vascular cambium. The secondary xylem provides additional structural support and additional water conduction tissue in shrubs and trees. The secondary phloem replaces the primary phloem.