Answer the following:

(i) What is meristematic tissue? How is it different from permanent tissues?

(ii) Which living material would you take to demonstrate meristematic tissue?

(iii) What is the function of meristematic tissue?

(i) The actively dividing cells found at all the growing points in a plant like the tip of roots, stems and branches, is known as meristematic tissue. Their role is to divide and produce more cells leading to growth of plant body.

They are different from the permanent tissues in following ways:

1. The cells of meristematic tissue are small in size as compared to cells of permanent tissue.
2. They have thin cell-walls as compared to permanent tissues.
3. Meristematic cells have large and conspicuous nuclei whereas permanent cells have small nuclei.
4. Vacuoles are absent in meristematic cells while large vacuoles can be seen in permanent cells.
5. The cells of meristematic tissue actively divide to add new cells whereas cells of permanent tissue do not divide.

(ii) Green gram seeds can be used to demonstrate meristematic tissue. Soaked green gram seeds develop sprouts that grow very fast. Their root tip consists of meristematic tissue which helps in their growth.

(iii) The only function of the meristematic tissue is to produce more cells leading to the growth of the plant body. The growth in height as well as thickness of the stem is due to meristematic tissues.