Both apical and intercalary meristem are similar in structure
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Have seen plants grow from small saplings to bigger plants and then trees? Don’t you think they generally grow from the top? Yes, they do. There are some specialized cells in plants that are not differentiated and help in the growth of the plants. These cells in a plant can be young and have the ability to divide continuously. There is a special name for these cells, which are called the meristem cells. The tissue that these meristem cells form in plants is called as the meristematic tissue.
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Meristematic Tissue in Plants
Meristematic tissue or meristems, as they are also called are tissues that have the ability to enlarge, stretch and differentiate into other types of cells as they mature. The cells of this tissue are generally young and immature, with the power of continuous division.
Meristematic cells are all living cells. The meristematic cells can be oval or rounded or polygonal in shape. They have a large nucleus with no vacuoles. Intercellular space between cells is absent. The cells are also small in size but have a high capacity of cell division.
Learn more about the different type of Animal Tissues here.
Types of Meristematic Tissue
Depending on the occurrence of the meristematic tissue on the plant body, we can classify the meristems into three types. They are:
Meristematic Tissue(Source: BiologyDiscussion)
Apical Meristems – These meristems are located on the tip of the root, stem etc. They help in the growth of the root system as well as the shoot system. The various cell divisions along with the cellular enlargement help in the growth of the stem above the ground and the growth of the root below the ground.
Intercalary Meristems – The intercalary meristems are located at the internodes or the base of the leaves. The intercalary meristems help in increasing the length of the internode. This is usually seen in monocotyledonous plants.
Lateral Meristems – The lateral meristems are present on the lateral side of the stem and root of a plant. These meristems help in increasing the thickness of the plants. The vascular cambium and the cork cambium are good examples of a lateral meristematic tissue.