Apical meristems, located at the tips of roots and in the buds of shoots
The apical meristem can be cut to make two new top branches. The meristem doesn't physically split into two branches.
Meristematic tissue or Meristem: Plants are capable of indeterminate growth because they have perpetually embryonic tissues called meristems.
Cells of meristems divide continuously and help in increasing the length and girth of the plant. This tissue is found at all growing points of a plant, such as the tips of roots, stems and branches.
According to their position in the plant, meristematic tissue can be classified into two main types: apical meristems and lateral meristems.
Apical meristems, located at the tips of roots and in the buds of shoots. As new cells form in the meristems, the roots and shoots will increase in length, a process known as primary growth. Primary growth allows roots to extend throughout the soil and shoots to increase exposure to light and CO2.
Lateral meristems
Lateral meristems account for secondary growth in plants.
Lateral meristems account for secondary growth in plants. Secondary growth is generally horizontal growth. A good example would be the growth of a tree trunk in girth. This growth in thickness, is caused by the activity of lateral meristems called the vascular cambium and cork cambium.
The vascular cambium, the first type of lateral meristem, is sometimes just called the cambium. The cambium is a thin, branching cylinder that, except for the tips where the apical meristems are located, runs the length of the roots and stems of most perennial plants and many herbaceous annuals. The cambium is responsible for the production of cells and tissues that increase the thickness, or girth, of the plant.
The cork cambium, the second type of lateral meristem, is much like the vascular cambium in that it is also a thin cylinder that runs the length of roots and stems. The difference is that it is only found in woody plants, as it will produce the outer bark. Both the vascular cambium and the cork cambium, if present, will begin to produce cells and tissues only after the primary tissues produced by the apical meristems have begun to mature. Intercalary meristems are found in grasses and related plants that do not have a vascular cambium or a cork cambium, as they do not increase in girth.