Plant Support and Growth II: Secondary Growth

These flashcards cover the key concepts related to secondary growth in plants, including definitions and functions of various tissues and growth patterns.

Secondary Growth

The process in which plants grow in girth, involving lateral meristems.

Vascular Cambium

A type of lateral meristem in woody plants that produces secondary xylem and secondary phloem.

Xylem

Tissue in vascular plants responsible for transporting water and minerals from roots to other parts of the plant.

Phloem

Tissue that conducts photosynthesis products (mainly sugars) from the leaves to other parts of the plant.

Annual Plants

Plants that complete their entire life cycle within a single growing season.

Biennial Plants

Plants that take two growing seasons to complete their life cycle, typically growing a large root in the first year.

Herbaceous Perennials

Plants that regrow each year from roots or bulbs, without producing woody stems.

True Secondary Growth

Growth that occurs in all seed plants except monocots, resulting in the development of wood.

Tracheids

Long, tapered cells in xylem that conduct water and are dead at maturity.

Vessel Elements

Short, tube-like structures in xylem that form vessels and conduct water, also dead at maturity.

Sieve Tube Members

Living cells in phloem that transport sugars and other nutrients, lacking nuclei at maturity.

Cork Cambium

A lateral meristem that produces cork cells for protection and helps form the periderm.

Heartwood

The inner part of a tree's trunk that is no longer conducting, filled with substances like resin.

Sapwood

The outer, living part of a tree's xylem that facilitates the conduction of water.

Periderm

The protective outer layer of a plant that replaces the epidermis during secondary growth.

Annual Rings

Visible rings in tree trunks that signify yearly growth and vary in size based on growth conditions.