Question

Write four characteristics of meristematic tissue.

Answer 1

Hint:Cell is the smallest and basic unit of living organisms.
Or we can say it is the structural, functional and biological unit of life.
Tissue is a group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as one unit.
Plant tissue is of two types:
1. Meristematic tissue and 2. Permanent tissue

Complete answer:
To answer this question, we need to know about plant tissues.
Plant tissue: It is a collection of similar cells performing an organized function for the plant.
Each plant tissue is specialized for a special purpose, and can be combined with other tissues to create organs such as leaves, flowers, stems and roots.
Plant tissues are further divided into two types of tissues on the basis of their cell division.
1. Meristematic Tissue.
2. Permanent Tissue
Meristematic tissue: Meristematic tissue cells are either undifferentiated or incompletely differentiated.
They continue to divide and contribute to the growth of the plant and its parts.

Meristematic tissues are further of three types:
1. Apical – At tips
2. Intercalary – In the middle
3. Lateral – At the bottom

Characteristics of permanent tissue are:
>The cells are called meristems.
>Every time the cell divides, one cell remains identical to the parent cell, and the others form specialized structures.
>They have very small and few vacuoles.
>The meristematic tissue is living and thin-walled.
>The protoplasm of the cells is very dense.
>The meristematic tissues heal an injured plant.
>The cells of the meristematic tissue are young and immature.
>They do not store food.
>They exhibit a very high metabolic activity.
>They possess a single, large and prominent nucleus.

Note: Permanent tissue consists of plant cells that are no longer actively dividing.
Such cells take on specific roles and lose their ability to divide further.
Permanent tissue is further of two types:
1. Simple: It includes parenchyma, sclerenchyma and collenchyma.
2. Compound: It includes xylem and phloem