Article
Article
Apical meristem
Article By:
Cutter, Elizabeth G. Department of Cryptogamic Botany, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed:October 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.043200
Permanently embryonic tissue involved in cell division at the apices of roots and stems, and forming dynamic regions of growth. These apical meristems, usually consisting of small, densely cytoplasmic cells, become established during embryo development. Thereafter they divide, producing the primary plant body of root and shoot. Below the apical meristems, tissue differentiation begins; the protoderm gives rise to the epidermal system, the procambium to the primary vascular system, and the ground meristem to the pith and cortex (Figs. 1 and 2). Plant apical meristems have been the object of experiments on development similar to those carried out on animal embryos. See also: Apical dominance
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
