Vascular Cambium – Class 11 | Chapter – 6 | Short Notes Series PDF

Vascular Cambium: The meristematic layer that is responsible for cutting off vascular tissues – xylem and pholem – is called vascular cambium. In the young stem it is present in patches as a single layer between the xylem and phloem. Later it forms a complete ring.

Role of Vascular Cambium

These are meristematic tissues involved in the lateral growth and their continued production of the new phloem and xylem, the shoot vascular cambium in woody plants constitute the wood.

An increase in the diameter results from the activity of the vascular cambium and the cork cambium. Between the primary phloem and the xylem lies the vascular cambium, dividing for the formation of phloem on the exterior and xylem on the interior.

The arrangement of primary phloem and xylem in roots averts the vascular cambium initially from forming circular configuration. In a year or so, various rates of cell division in the vascular cambium forms a cylinder. The secondary xylem expands the capacity of the plant to conduct minerals and water up from the roots, adding to the structural support aspect.

The secondary phloem elevates the transportation of food from the leaves. As the root or stem grows in thickness, the mature primary phloem and xylem tissues are further pushed away. It is the secondary xylem which is called wood and majorly comprises dead cells. It is just the more recent layers which are formed of the secondary xylem that are involved in the conduction of minerals and water. Likewise, the more recently formed layers of the living secondary phloem are involved in the conduction of food.

The old phloem cells cannot conduct as they are stretched and broken when the new cells that are generated by the vascular cambium are pushed towards the outside. The xylem cells which are old do not conduct, as an increasing number of vessels possess broken water columns and an increasing number of tracheids have air contained.


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By Team Learning Mantras