A formative plant tissue usually made up of small cells capable of dividing indefinitely and giving rise to similar cells or to cells that differentiate to produce the definitive tissues and organs.
The secret to these abilities lies within a tissue type called meristem. Meristematic cells are fully developed and functional at maturity, but unlike other cells in the plant, they remain totipotent. This means that when induced, they can develop into any specific plant tissue at any point during the life of the plant. Meristem is a region of plant tissue consisting of undifferentiated or incompletely differentiated cells (meristematic cells) that are capable of cell division and growth and from which new cells are formed. Differentiated plant cells generally cannot divide or produce cells of a different type. Meristems are the specific sites in the plant where mitotic divisions produce new cells. Most plants grow from the tips of branches and roots where apical meristems produce new cells. As a result, in all buds, at the ends of all branch tips and on root tips, apical meristems are found. Definition of MERISTEM. : a formative plant tissue usually made up of small cells capable of dividing indefinitely and giving rise to similar cells or to cells that differentiate to produce the definitive tissues and organs. — mer·i·ste·mat·ic \ˌmer-əs-tə-ˈma-tik\ adjective. meristem. n. 1. (Botany) a plant tissue responsible for growth, whose cells divide and differentiate to form the tissues and organs of the plant. Meristems occur within the stem (see cambium) and leaves and at the tips of stems and roots. Cells in the meristem, however, divide and produce all of the new cells in a plant. While meristem tissue is the source of the regenerative potential of a plant, meristems also play a pivotal role in normal plant growth. meristem. (mĕr`istĕm') , a specialized section of plant tissue characterized by cell division and growth. Much of the mature plant's growth is provided by meristems. Apical meristems found at the tips of stems and roots increase the length of these sections. The apical meristem, or growing tip, is a completely undifferentiated meristematic tissue found in the buds and growing tips of roots in plants. Its main function is to begin growth of new cells in young seedlings at the tips of roots and shoots (forming buds, among other structures).
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what are meristem cells