How does cork cambium contribute to growth of higher plants?
In woody plants, cork cambium is the outermost lateral meristem. It produces cork cells, which contain a waxy substance that can repel water. The phloem together with the cork cells form the bark, which protects the plant against physical damage and helps reduce water loss.
What is the role of the cork cambium in plant growth?
The cork cambium is a lateral meristem and is responsible for secondary growth that replaces the epidermis in roots and stems. It is found in woody and many herbaceous dicots, gymnosperms and some monocots (monocots usually lack secondary growth).
What is the importance of cork cambium in plants?
Cork cambium is responsible for the secondary growth that replaces the epidermal tissue in young roots and stems. Epidermal tissue covers all parts of young or new plant structures. As stems and roots mature the epidermal cells die and are sloughed off as they are displaced by the periderm that includes cork cambium.
Why is the cork cambium important?
Cork produced by the cork cambium functions as a thick layer of cells that protects the delicate vascular cambium and secondary phloem from mechanical damage, predation, and desiccation.
What are the functions of cork in plants?
It protects the plants by acting as a cushion against any physical or mechanical injuries. It is rich in suberin, a jelly-like compound that prevents water loss from plants. It makes the plants more resistant to bacterial and fungal infections.
How cork protect the plant?
Cork is a protective tissue with dead suberin rich cells that forms thick and waterproof covering of older stem and root. Suberin is a waterproofing waxy substance which restricts water movement.
What is the main function of cork cells?
It protects the tree from bacterial or fungal infection. It prevents water loss through the bark.
What is the major function of the cork cambium?
The cork cambium, or phellogen, produces the protective outer layers of the bark.
What are cork cells composed of and their purpose?
A mature cork cell is non-living and has cell walls that are composed of a waxy substance that is highly impermeable to gases and water called suberin.
What is cork cell in biology?
Cork consists of the irregularly shaped, thin-walled, wax-coated cells that make up the peeling bark of the birch and many other trees, but, in the restricted commercial sense of the word, only the bark of the cork oak merits the designation of cork.
What are the features cork cells?
Cork cells are compactly arranged dead cells and they lack intercellular spaces. Walls of cork cells are thickened with suberin which is fat. Because of Suberin, these cells are impermeable to water and gases. Cork provides protection to plant and it prevents the loss of water from the plant body.