Question

Interfascicular cambium is
A) Intercalary meristem
B) Secondary meristem
C) Apical meristem
D) Both A and B

Answer 1

Cambium is a thin strip of primary meristem present between the xylem and phloem in dicot stems. Cambium is absent in the monocotyledons. The cambium is responsible for the secondary growth in the plants. It is a meristematic tissue present between the permanent tissues (xylem and phloem).

Complete answer:
The meristematic tissue is the tissue in the active region of cell growth. The lateral meristem is made up of three types of cambium : -
a) Fascicular vascular cambium : It is the meristematic tissue which develops within the vascular bundles. It is also called interfascicular vascular cambium.
b) Interfascicular cambium : The meristematic tissue which develops between the vascular bundles is called interfascicular cambium.
c) Cork cambium : This lateral meristem forms the cork, a tough protective material during the secondary growth. Hence, lateral meristems are secondary meristems on the basis of origin (except interfascicular cambium) and lateral on the basis of location.

Now let us discuss about given options :
Intercalary meristem : It is a primary meristem but lateral meristems are secondary in nature and interfascicular cambium is a lateral meristem . It appears early in the life of the plant. It is present between mature tissues.
Secondary meristem : Lateral meristems are secondary in nature and interfascicular cambium is a lateral meristem . It appears later in the life of the plant. Thus this option is exactly correct. They are responsible for lateral growth of plants .
Apical meristem : It is the primary meristem. As the name signifies, these tissues are found at the apices or tips of stem, root or branch. Lateral meristems are secondary in nature so this option is not correct.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘B’ that is secondary meristem.

Note: Lateral meristem are present along the lateral sides of roots and shoots of many plants. They are found in the mature regions of roots and shoots. These do not occur in all plants. They occur only in those plants that produce the woody axis or show secondary growth. These are generally not present from the very beginning of life of a plant and appear later than the primary meristems, that is why they are called secondary meristems.