The cambium is a thin layer of dividing cells that produces vascular tissue. Which tissues are produced by the cambium?

The cambium is a thin layer of dividing cells that produces vascular tissue. Which tissues are produced by the cambium?

• A. Bark and cork
• B. Xylem and phloem
• C. Leaves
• D. Roots

Answer: (B)

The cambium is a lateral meristem that forms vascular tissue, driving secondary growth to thicken stems and roots. Specifically, the vascular cambium sits between the xylem (inside) and the phloem (outside) and adds new cells to both sides: secondary xylem toward the inside and secondary phloem toward the outside. That combination—xylem and phloem—is what the cambium continuously produces as the plant grows. Leaves and roots come from apical meristems at shoot and root tips, not from the cambium. Cork or bark tissues come from the cork cambium (phellogen), which is a different meristem. So the tissues produced by the cambium are xylem and phloem.

The cambium is a lateral meristem that forms vascular tissue, driving secondary growth to thicken stems and roots. Specifically, the vascular cambium sits between the xylem (inside) and the phloem (outside) and adds new cells to both sides: secondary xylem toward the inside and secondary phloem toward the outside. That combination—xylem and phloem—is what the cambium continuously produces as the plant grows.

Leaves and roots come from apical meristems at shoot and root tips, not from the cambium. Cork or bark tissues come from the cork cambium (phellogen), which is a different meristem. So the tissues produced by the cambium are xylem and phloem.