Secondary Growth is Best Described As

Question

Secondary growth is best described as
A)consisting mostly of mesophyll layers.
B)a growth in thickness caused by lateral meristems.
C)a growth in height caused by apical meristems.
D)structural, photosynthetic, protective.
E)dependent on water- and sugar-conducting cells.

Accepted Answer

Secondary growth is a growth in thickness caused by lateral meristems, namely vascular cambium and cork cambium. The vascular cambium produces secondary xylem (wood) towards the center of the stem and secondary phloem towards the bark, leading to an increase in girth of the plant. The cork cambium produces cork cells towards the outside, contributing to the protective outer layer of the stem.