A good way to think about a plant “stem”, or really any part of a plant, is with branches spreading from a central point of growth. All tissues of a plant (besides vascular and dermal) originate from something called the meristem. The meristem is the home of plant stem cells. These cells are rapidly dividing here through mitotic cell division, then branching out and becoming more specialized. The meristem is the core of how all plants grow!

• Protoderm – thin outer layer of the meristem
• Ground Meristem – the ground meristem is the part that emerges from the apical meristem and eventually develops into pithe and cortex once again
• Leaf Primordium – group of cells that will develop into leaves
• Apical Meristem – part of the meristem at the tip of each root and shoot growth that extends the plant
• Leaf Trace – vessels that connect the stem to the leaf
• Node – area of the stem where buds grow
• Procambium – part of the meristem where cambium and vascular tissues grow
• Pithe – pithe is the name for the tissue within the stem of a plant
• Cortex – the cortex is the layer outside of the vascular tissues but inside the protoderm or epidermis, responsible for providing support and transporting nutrients
• Bud Primordium – group of cells that develop into buds
• Leaf Trace Gap – the gap in vascular tissue that forms when the growing tissue breaks into leaf or bud primordium

If you enjoyed this blog about terminology of plant stems and how plants grow, be sure to check out this one all about seeds!