meristem (redirected from meristems)

mer·i·stem  (mr-stm)

n.

The undifferentiated plant tissue from which new cells are formed, as that at the tip of a stem or root.

---

[Greek meristos, divided (from merizein, to divide, from meris, division; see (s)mer-² in Indo-European roots) + -em (as in xylem and phloem).]

---

meri·ste·matic (-st-mtk) adj.

meri·ste·mati·cal·ly adv.

---

meristem [ˈmɛrɪˌstɛm]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / 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

[from Greek meristos divided, from merizein to divide, from meris portion]

meristematic  [ˌmɛrɪstɪˈmætɪk] adj

---

meristem  (mr-stm)

Plant tissue whose cells actively divide to form new tissues that cause the plant to grow. The originally undifferentiated cells of the meristem can produce specialized cells to form the tissues of roots, leaves, and other plant parts. The meristem includes the growing tips of roots and stems (the apical meristems) and the tissue layer known as cambium.

---

meristematic adjective (mr-st-mtk)

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

meristem - undifferentiated tissue from which new cells are formed, as at the tip of a stem or root plant tissue - the tissue of a plant