Stem Anatomy Vocab

vascular cambium

a single layer of meristem tissue between the xylem and the phloem that produces the secondary xylem (wood) and the secondary phloem (inner bark)

meristem

a specialized area where plant growth takes place and where cells divide and differentiate

stem

an organ that serves as the main stalk of a plant or that supports a plant part, such as a leaf, a flower, or fruit

apical meristem

dividing tissue found at the end of a stem and at the tip of a root

internode

internode:

cork cambium

lateral meristem that produces cork cells and cork parenchyma

periderm

secondary tissue consisting of cork-producing tissue, the cork cells, cork parenchyma, and remnants of primary tissues that become the outer bark

heartwood

the darker and older inner wood of a tree

node

the location where a leaf attaches to the stem

sapwood

the younger and lighter-colored wood circling the heartwood of a tree

pith

tissue composed of large, thin-walled parenchyma cells that makes up the core of a dicot stem