Describe the salient features of meristematic …

• Meristematic Tissue:

Meristematic tissues are growth tissues and found in the growing regions of the plant. According to their position in plant, meristems are apical, lateral and intercalary.

1. Apical meristem - Apical meristem is present at the growing tips of stems and roots and increases the length of the stem and the root.
2. Lateral meristem – Lateral meristems are found beneath the bark. The girth of the stem or root increases due to lateral meristem (cambium).
3. Intercalary meristem - Intercalary meristem is the meristem at the base of the leaves or internodes (on either side of the node) on twigs. It increases the length of the organs such as leaves and internodes.

Characteristics of Meristematic Tissues:

1. Their cells are similar in structure and have thin cellulose cell walls.
2. The cells are active and have dense cytoplasm.
3. They contain few vacuoles or no vacuoles at all.
4. The meristematic cells are compactly arranged and do not contain any intercellular space between them.