Question

What is axillary bud?

Answer 1

They are the part of the apical meristematic tissues and are responsible for the growth and development of the shoot apex and are embryonic in nature. It is located between the stem and the petiole of the plant.

Complete answer:
Apical meristem is the meristem present at the tip of the root and shoots and produces primary tissue. Shoot apical meristem covers most regions of the stem axis. During the formation of leaves and elongation of the stem, some cells are left behind which constitutes the axillary bud. Axillary buds are capable of forming a flower or a branch and a present at the axils of leaves. Thus the formation of both the axillary buds and the terminal buds occur due to the activity of the apical meristem. Both of these tissues are located in the meristematic or growth regions of the stem of the plant and thus results in an increase in the tips of the roots and shoots. They are observed to have arisen from the outer layer of the cortex present in the stem.
The axillary buds are responsible for the production of both reproductive shoots that are flowers, and vegetative shoots that are branches and stems. After their transformation into a bud, they will remain dormant for a period of time or may immediately form the shoot. When the apical meristem are present actively in the axillary buds then it prevents the growth of axillary buds due to the secretion of auxin by then resulting in the process of apical dominance. When the amount of auxin is less than only axillary buds start to develop. It then extends itself from the meristematic region found at the node and is present in between the stem and the leaf. With the help of axillary buds, it is easier to count the number of leaves in a particular plant. The best example to observe axillary buds is the eyes of the potato.

Note:
The apical meristem is of two types: the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and the root apical meristem (RAM). The meristem are found to have various layers or coverings of which tunica is the uttermost layer while corpus is the innermost layer. The apical meristems are mostly present in the apex of the plant parts.