-Kumudinee, Subject Matter Expert at Edumarz.
Solution: Secondary growth is nothing but the increase or growth in girth or width of the stems of woody angiosperms.
The two secondary lateral meristems which are the vascular cambium and the cork cambium are the tissues involved in the secondary growth of angiosperms.
In woody dicots, a strip of cambium can be observed between the primary xylem and the primary phloem and is called the interfascicular cambium.
The medullary rays adjoining the interfascicular cambium forms interfascicular cambium and results in the formation of a continuous cambium ring.
The can cambium divides and differentiates, forming new cells toward either side.The cells that are present towards the outer side get differentiated to form the secondary phloem, on the other hand the cells which cut off towards the pith give rise to the secondary xylem.
As the cambium is more active on the inner side, the amount of secondary xylem produced is more than the secondary phloem and it causes the pith to grow inwards forming a compact mass.
Significance of secondary growth:
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The secondary growth in woody angiosperms is important as it increases the girth of plants.
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It increases the amount of water and nutrients in order to support the growing number of leaves, and it also provides additional support to the plants.