What is the Difference Between Apical Intercalary and Lateral Meristem?

The difference between apical, intercalary, and lateral meristems lies in their location and function in plant growth. Here are the main distinctions between the three types of meristems:

Apical Meristem:

Position: Located at the root and shoot tips of the plant.
Function: Responsible for the extension of the plant Height and primary plant body.

Intercalary Meristem:

Position: Positioned at internodes (stem regions between the places at which leaves attach) and leaf bases, especially in certain monocotyledons (e.g., grasses).
Function: Contributes to the increased plant height, along with the apical meristem.

Lateral Meristem:

Position: Found in the vascular cambium (located in vascular bundles).
Function: Responsible for secondary growth or increase in stem girth and thickness.

In summary, apical and intercalary meristems contribute to the increased plant height, while lateral meristems are involved in increasing the thickness of the plant.

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What is the Difference Between Apical Intercalary and Lateral Meristem?

Comparative Table: Apical Intercalary vs Lateral Meristem

Here is a table comparing the differences between apical, intercalary, and lateral meristems:

Characteristic	Apical Meristem	Intercalary Meristem	Lateral Meristem
Location	Growing points of stems, roots, branches, and growing young leaves near the tips of stems	Located at the base of leaves or internodes, joining adjacent apical meristems	Positioned in the cambium layer of the stem and root
Function	Responsible for primary growth, including growth in length and branching	Contributes to the continuous growth of a plant in length	Responsible for secondary growth, including growth in width
Tissues Produced	Various tissues of the plant, including epidermis, cortex, and vascular tissues	Depend on the plant species	New xylem and phloem tissues in the stem, and new cork cells in the root
Growth Direction	Increases the height of the plant	Contributes to the growth in length	Increases the thickness of the plant

Apical and intercalary meristems contribute towards increasing the height of the plant, while lateral meristems are responsible for the growth in width.

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.