LABORATORY MANUAL 3: APICAL

MERISTEMS,STEM AND ROOTS

SBC 3023
PLANT MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY

PREPARED BY:
1)
2)

EIZUWAN BIN EIZUDDIN

D20131063029
ZARITH NADHIRA BINTI ZAKARIA
D20132065314

SUBMISSION DATE: 3 APRIL 2014

INTRODUCTION
Young tissue or permanent tissue which are actively dividing and differentiate are called merismetic
tissue.Merismetic tissue can be classified into five types of meristem which are apical
meristem(located at apex of organ),basal meristem (located at base of the organt),intercalary
meristem(internodes).lateral meristem(located along the periphery of an organ) and axillary
meristem(located at the axils of leaves).This type of meristem usually happen based on their position
in the plant body.Merismetic cells have primary differentiate in shoot and root which can be classified
into three kind which are promeristem (initial cell),protoderm (dermal tissue),procambium (vascular
tissue),ground meristem(ground tissue).In term of meristem formation usually comes from base of
origin which can be divided into primary meristem and secondary meristem.Primary meristem is
earliest stage that build up the primary part of the plant .Secondary meristem is merismetic
differentiate within primary tissue that produce secondary tissue such as vascular cambium and cork
cambium. In monocot and dicot are different in apical growth of plant.At the stem of the vascular
bundles are scattered and at the stem of dicot,the vascular bundle are arranged.Monocot plant do not
involved in secondary growth,but dicot plant involved the secondary growth.
APPARATUS
1) Compound light microscope
2) Prepared Slide
METHODS
A : APICAL MERISTEM
Slide 1 (L.S of Vicia Root Tip)

: The Vicia root tip was observed,drawn and

labelled . The regions of three primary meristem
such as protoderm,procambium and pround
meristem were identified. The regions of three
primary meristem such as protoderm,procambium
and pround meristem were identified.

Slide 2

: The root cap and root hair were observed and

labelled in the slide.

Slide 3 (L.S of Coleus Stem)

With tip of apcical Meristem

: The developing leaves were observed,labelled

and drawn.The three primary meristems such as
protoderm,procambium and ground meristem were
identified.

Slide 4 (Lateral Root in Vicia root tip)

: Stage in the development of lateral roots were

briefly explained.

B : STEM
Slide 5 (T.S of monocot stem and root)

Slide 6 (T.S of Helianthus primary

:The slide of monocot stem and root were

observed,drawn and labelled.

: The slide were observed,drawn and labelled.

and secondary stem)

Slide 7 (T.S of Herbaceous and woody stem) : Both herbaceous and woody stem were observed
and drawn.
Slide 8 (T.S of annual and perennial plants)
Slide 9 (T.S of Tilia Stem)

: The portion of each annual and perennial stems were

observed and labelled.
: The portion of the Tilia stem were observed,drawn
and labelled.

C : Roots
Slide 10 (T.S of monocot and dicot roots)

: Both roots were observed,drawn and labelled.

Slide 11 (T.S of Helianthus primary

and secondary root)

: The difference both primary root and

secondary root were compared.

Slide 12 (T.S of orchid aerial root of

Dendrobium SP)

: The structure of aerial root were observed,drawn

and labelled.

DISCUSSION
A. APICAL MERISTEM:
1 . a) The most meristematic region in root apex is above the quiescent center.
b) The function of a root cap is to cover and protect the growing tip of the root. They are
important to prevent injury to the plant.
2. Root hair can be found only in the region of maturation of the root and their main function is to
collect water and mineral nutrients present in the soil and take this solution up through the roots to the
rest of the plant.
3. a) Characters of meristem cells of apical shoot is it appears at the topmost aspect of the stem.While
meristem cells of apical root appears immediately behind the protective root cap
b) The tunica, is one or more superficial layers that show only anticlinal (perpendicular to the
surface) divisions. In dicots, layer two of the corpus determine the characteristics of the edge of the
leaf. The corpus and tunica play a critical part of the plant physical appearance as all plant cells are
formed from the meristems. Apical meristems are found in two locations: the root and the stem. Some
Arctic plants have an apical meristem in the lower/middle parts of the plant.
4. Lateral root primordia originate from the mature pericycle of the parent root. ateral root primordia
develop through a characteristic program of cell divisions and expansions to create a fully patterned
structure that resembles the primary root tip.
After the lateral root primordium is formed, it becomes a mature lateral root by a two stage process.
First, the primodium emerges through the overlaying tissues by cell expansion. The increase in cell
size is particularly apparent in cells near the base of the primordium, while cell number remains
relatively unchanged. Second, the new lateral root begins to elongate, and cell numbers increase at the
root tip. This is characteristic of mature root elongation via division of cells in the root apical
meristem.
a) 1) absorption of water and inorganic nutrients, 2) anchoring of the plant body to the ground, and
supporting it, 3) storage of food and nutrients, 4) vegetative reproduction.

B. STEM
1.
Characters

Monocot stem

Monocot Root

1.Epidermis
a.Nature of
the cells

Thick walled

Thin walled

b.Epidermal
Absent
hairs

Present, unicellular root hairs

c.Stomata

Present

Absent

2.
Hypodermis

Present, made up of sclerenchyma

Absent

3. Ground
tissue

Undifferentiated

Differentiated

4. Vascular bundles
a. Number

Indefinite

Eight each of xylem and phloem

Radial

b. Nature

Conjoint, collateral closed

Radial

c. Xylem

Endarch

Exarch

d. Xylem
vessels

Only two protoxylem vessels and two

metaxylem vessels in each bundle Present

More than two protoxylem and two

metaxylem vessels in each bundle

e.
Lysigenous
cavity

Present

Absent

f. Phloem
parenchyma

Present

Present

2. Primary growth of a plant consists of the increase in overall height of the plant. Secondary growth
is responsible for the increase in the girth of plant components such as the stem and roots.
a) The process of primary growth results in the formation of primary permanent tissues such as
primary xylem, primary phloem and primary cortex. However in the dicot plants, there is a process of
growth that begins after a known period of primary growth. Such a growth is known as secondary
growth. It is the result of the activity of secondary meristem. It results in the formation of secondary
permanent tissues such as secondary xylem, secondary phloem and secondary cortex. As a result,
secondary growth brings about an increase in the girth of the plant body. Secondary growth occurs
both in the stele and cortex. The process occurs simultaneously but is caused by separate strips of

secondary meristem. In the stele, secondary growth is initiated by vascular cambium, while in the
cortex, it is initiated by cork cambium. The role of vascular cambium here is divides and then
produces secondary phloem to outside of the dicot stem and secondary xylem inside

3. a) Woody stem is primarily composed of xylem cells with cell walls made of cellulose and lignin.
Xylem is a vascular tissue which moves water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Most woody
plants form new layers of woody tissue each year, and so increase their stem diameter from year to
year, with new wood deposited on the inner side of a vascular cambium layer located immediately
beneath the bark.
Herbaceous plants are usually green and pliant and are covered by a thin epidermis instead of by the
bark of woody plants.
Differences between woody and herbaceous stems is that the woody stems are harder. The herbaceous
stems stay softer. The development of the stems are also different. A woody stems changes after the
first year.
b) Annual rings can be found in woody stem.Yes ,we manage to estimate the age of the stem with
annual rings.
c) Vascular bundles seen in herbaceous are scattered while vascular bundles seen in woody stem
are arranged.
4. a) An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of
seed, within one year, and then dies. Summer annuals germinate during spring or early summer and
mature by fall of the same year.
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. They return year
after year and continue growing until they reach maturity.
b) Annua plant complete their life cycle within a year, while perennials live for over two years.
5. b) Early wood is the part of the wood in a growth ring of a tree that is produced earlier in the
growing season. The cells of early wood are larger and have thinner walls than those produced later in
the growing season.
Late wood is he part of the wood in a growth ring of a tree that is produced later in the growing
season. The cells of late wood are smaller and have thicker cell walls than those produced earlier in
the season. Within a growth ring, the change of early wood to late wood is gradual, but each layer of
early wood from the next growing season makes an abrupt contrast with the late wood before it, thus
leading to the perception of rings.

C. ROOTS

6. a) Differences between monocot and dicot roots :

Dicot root
- Cortex is comparatively narrow.
- Pericycle is single layered.
- Pericycle produces lateral roots cambium and cork cambium.
- Vascular bundles range from two to six in number.
- Xylem vessels are angular.
- Pith is not well developed or absent
- Secondary growth takes place.
Monocot root
- Cortex is wide.
- Pericycle is often multilayered.
- Pericycle produces lateral roots.
- Vascular bundles are more than six in number.
- Xylem vessels are oval or rounded.
- Pith is well developed.
- Secondary growth does not take place.
b) Shoots- The bundles of vascular tissue in monocot stems are dispersed throughout the stem, while
in dicots, there is a ring of vascular bundles, surrounded by cortex and with pith to the center (called a
eustele).
Roots- Dicots usually have a central core of vascular tissue (called a protostele), while monocots have
a ring of vascular tissue surrounding pith.

7. a) Primary growth
1. It takes place by the activities of primary meristematic tissues such as apical cell, apical meristems,
etc.
2. It results in growth in longitudinal axis mainly.
3. It is the first growth of the plant and its parts.
4. It is for a short period and stops after complete tissue differentiation occurs in a part of the plant.
5. It occurs in all plants and in all parts.
6. Periderm and barks are not formed.
7. Tissue formed by this growth are various types and called primary tissues.
Secondary growth
1. It takes place by the activities of secondary meristematic tissues and some times by the joint
activity of both primary and secondary meristematic tissues.
2. It results in radial growth.
3. It is a later period of growth.
4. It continues only in matured part and occurs after the part of organ has completely developed.
5. It occurs in gymnosperms and angiosperms (except monocots).
6. It results in the formation of bark periderm, lenticel, etc.
7. Tissues formed due to this growth are mainly secondary xylem and secondary phloem and are
called secondary tissues.
b) Casparian strip is a band of cell wall material deposited on the radial and transverse walls of the
endodermis, and is chemically different from the rest of the cell wall, being made of suberin and
lignin. Its role is to blocks the passive flow of materials such as water and solutes into the stele of a
plant.
8. Compared to normal monocot roots,the root phloem is located between the arms of xylem instead
of root xylem and phloem in a ring.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the experiment succeeded in showing the type of apical meristems,stem and roots and its
function as well as their structure.

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