https://emsenn.net/tags/plantgrowth/ Recent content in PlantGrowth on emsenn.net Hugo en-us Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/science/domains/biology/domains/botany/terms/cambium/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://emsenn.net/library/domains/science/domains/biology/domains/botany/terms/cambium/ <p>Cambium: a lateral meristem — a thin, active layer of cells responsible for secondary (lateral) growth, the process by which stems and roots increase in diameter. A cambium is a perpetually juvenile tissue that remains meristematic throughout the plant&rsquo;s life, continuously dividing to produce new secondary xylem and phloem.</p> <p>The <strong>vascular cambium</strong> is the principal cambium in woody plants. It is a single-celled-thick cylindrical sheet positioned between the primary xylem (toward the center of the stem) and the primary phloem (toward the periphery). When a vascular cambium cell divides, one daughter cell differentiates into xylem (adding to the inner surface), while the other remains meristematic or differentiates into phloem (adding to the outer surface). This asymmetrical division layer by layer accumulates wood — the secondary xylem. The wood production is often seasonal: in temperate and continental climates, faster growth in spring (when water is abundant and day length is increasing) produces large xylem cells; slower growth in late summer produces smaller cells with thicker walls. This variation in cell size creates the visible annual growth rings seen in a cross-section of a tree trunk.</p>