Q.Name the meristem responsible for primary growth of plants.
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Where a plant grows — and why it can't run away
A plant is rooted in place. It can't walk to better soil or move toward sunlight. Instead, it grows toward what it needs. That growth happens only in specific regions called meristems — zones of actively dividing cells. Think of them as the plant's permanent construction sites.
Unlike animals, where most cell division stops after development, plants keep dividing throughout their life. The cells that do this dividing are meristematic cells: small, thin-walled, densely packed, with large nuclei and no vacuoles. They are undifferentiated — they haven't yet decided what to become.
The three meristems by position
Meristems are classified by where they are found and what they do. There are three types.
1. Apical meristems — the tips
Found at the tips of roots and shoots. These are responsible for primary growth — increase in length. A root tip pushes deeper into the soil; a shoot tip pushes upward toward light. Both have an apical meristem at the very end, protected by a root cap (in roots) or leaf primordia (in shoots).
Apical meristems produce primary tissues (epidermis, ground tissue, vascular tissue) and are responsible for primary growth — elongation of the plant body.
2. Intercalary meristems — the gaps
Found at the bases of leaves or internodes in some plants (grasses, bamboo, mint). These are actually apical meristems that got left behind as the stem elongated. They allow rapid regrowth — which is why grass grows back after you cut it. The cut removes the shoot tip, but the intercalary meristem at the leaf base keeps producing new cells.
| Meristem | Position | Function | Example |
|----------|----------|----------|---------|
| Apical | Root and shoot tips | Length increase | All young plants |
| Intercalary | Base of leaves/internodes | Regrowth after cutting | Grasses, bamboo |
| Lateral | Cylindrical, along stems/roots | Thickness increase | Trees, shrubs |
3. Lateral meristems — the sides
Found as cylinders along the length of stems and roots. These are responsible for secondary growth — increase in girth. Two main types:
- Vascular cambium — produces secondary xylem (wood) inward and secondary phloem outward.
- Cork cambium — produces cork (bark) outward.
Lateral meristems are absent in most monocots (like grasses) and present in dicots and gymnosperms (like trees).
| A common mistake: thinking all meristems are at the tips. Lateral meristems run the entire length of the stem or root — they are not point-like but cylindrical. They make a tree trunk thicker year after year.
The precise statement
Meristematic tissues are groups of undifferentiated cells capable of continuous division. Based on position, they are classified as: …
Primary growth increases the length of the plant and is brought about by the meristems located at the tips of root …
Primary growth (increase in length) is caused by the apical meristem.
Meristems are regions of actively dividing cells. The apical meristem is present at the tips (apices) of the root and shoot. Its cell divisions add new cells that elongate the root and shoot, causing an increase in the length of the plant - this is called primary growth. (Secondary growth, or increase in girth …
- CBSE 2026Set ANN1 markQ.Name the meristem responsible for primary growth of plants.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Primary growth (increase in length) is caused by the apical meristem.
Meristems are regions of actively dividing cells. The apical meristem is present at the tips (apices) of the root and shoot. Its cell divisions add new cells that elongate the root and shoot, causing an increase in the length of the plant - this is called primary growth. (Secondary growth, or increase in girth …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The apex meristem of the shoot of plant gets transformed in which?(a) Intercalary meristem(b) Lateral meristem(c) Floral meristem(d) Does not change
›Reveal solutionSolution
On flowering, the vegetative shoot apex is converted into a floral meristem.
The apical meristem located at the tip of the shoot is normally responsible for producing new leaves and internodes during vegetative growth. When the plant receives the appropriate developmental/hormonal signal to flower, this apical meristem changes its pattern of activity — it stops forming leaf primordia and instead starts forming floral primordia (sepals, petals, stamens, carpels). This transformed meristem is called th …
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The tissues which are responsible for growth of plants :(a) Meristems(b) Sclerenchyma(c) Parenchyma(d) Collenchyma
›Reveal solutionSolution
Meristematic tissue consists of undifferentiated, continuously dividing cells and is the site of all plant growth.
Plant tissues are classified as meristematic (dividing) or permanent (differentiated, non-dividing). Meristems -- apical (at root/shoot tips, for growth in length), lateral (e.g. vascular cambium, cork cambium, for growth in girth), and intercalary (at the base of internodes/leaves) -- are the only tissues that actively add new cells, which then differentiate into permanent tissue …
- CBSE 2020Set botany1 markMCQQ.A tissue responsible for forming new cells/tissues is:(a) Parenchyma(b) Sclerenchyma(c) Collenchyma(d) Meristematic tissue
›Reveal solutionSolution
Meristematic tissue is the actively dividing tissue responsible for forming new cells; the other three options (parenchyma, sclerenchyma, collenchyma) are permanent tissues that do not normally divide.
Plant tissues are broadly grouped into meristematic (dividing) and permanent (differentiated) tissues.
- Parenchyma, collenchyma and sclerenchyma are all SIMPLE PERMANENT tissues — their cells have already differentiated to perform a fixed function (storage/support) and, except for some living parenchyma under special conditions, they do not go on dividing. …
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