As the plant matures, the thin epidermal layer (epidermis) is replaced by the periderm. The cork cambium in the periderm helps plants to form new cells that later give rise to inner phelloderm and outer phellem. Thus, unlike the apical meristem tissue in root and shoot tips, cork cambium is a lateral meristem responsible for secondary plant growth.
Structure of Cork Cambium in Plants
How is Cork Cambium Formed
Functions of Cork Cambium
Vascular Cambium vs Cork Cambium
The cells of the cork cambium show the typical features of meristematic cells but may contain chloroplast. The first cork cambium in plants may last for several years, for example, for almost 20 years in the apple plant. They usually show seasonal activity. However, in a fully mature plant, they arise in deeper areas of the stem and from parenchymatic cells of the secondary phloem. In the roots, cork cambium originated from the pericycle. These cells finally become dead at maturity and become filled with air or with materials such as resins or tannins.
Producing new cells that give rise to the inner phelloderm and outer phellem of the stems and branches of the plant causing the plant to increase in widthInitiating the formation of the axillary buds in plantsForming the secondary growth of the plant by replacing the epidermal tissues in young herbaceous plantsActing as a better protective barrier for plants against water loss, pathogens, and mechanical injuries than the epidermis
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