Cambium is the name for the thin layer of living cells that lies immediately beneath the bark of a tree. It is the area of the tree that produces new cells, causing the tree to spread out year after year. This article will explain to you about Cambium which will be helpful in preparing the Environment Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

Cambium

What exactly is Cambium?

• In plants, the cambium, also known as Cambiums or Cambia, is a layer of actively dividing cells that lies between the xylem (wood) and phloem (bast) tissues.
• It is in charge of the roots' and stems' secondary growth (secondary growth occurs after the first season and results in an increase in thickness).
• The initial cells, which make up the cambium's single layer, in theory, are difficult to identify from their undifferentiated progeny cells in practice.
• Therefore, numerous cell layers are generally referred to as the cambium or cambial zone.
• Cambial cells divide to create secondary xylem cells that grow toward the stem's axis and secondary phloem cells that grow away from it.
• The cells that make up the cambium are undifferentiated and still possess the embryonic ability to continue growing and differentiating.
• A cambium can also develop within callus tissues, which are collections of cells that cover an injured wound's surface and promote healing.

Cambium - Types

Cork Cambium

• The cork cambium is a tissue that makes up the epidermis in many vascular plants.
• It is a layer of bark that lies between the cork and the major phloem.
• A lateral meristem called the cork cambium is in charge of the secondary growth that takes the place of the epidermis in roots and stems.
• It is present in several monocots, gymnosperms, and many herbaceous dicots (monocots usually lack secondary growth).

Unifacial Cambium

• To fill its cylinder, the unifacial cambium generates cells. As these cells develop, xylem tissue forms.
• The unifacial cambium does not produce phloem to its exterior, in contrast to the more frequent bifacial cambium found in later woody plants.
• The unifacial cambium is also unable to increase its circumference through anticlinal cell division, in contrast to the bifacial cambium.
• A small amount of expansion is provided via cell elongation.

Vascular Cambium

• The primary growing tissue in the stems and roots of many plants as well as in some other vascular plants is known as the vascular cambium.
• They are particularly found in dicots like buttercups and oak trees, and gymnosperms like pine trees.
• Secondary xylem is produced inward, toward the pith, and secondary phloem is produced outward, toward the bark.

Cambium - Functions

• New cells are actively cut off by the cambial ring on both the inner and outer sides as it becomes active.
• The cells that are severed and directed into the pith develop into secondary xylem.
• On average, the inner side of the cambium is more active than the outer side.
• The main functions are to create secondary xylem tissue, secondary phloem tissue, and secondary modular rays.

Cambium - Uses

• The cork oak's bark is used to make commercial cork (Quercus suber).
• Wine bottle stoppers, bulletin boards, coasters, hot pads to shield tables from hot pans, insulation, lid sealing, flooring, engine gaskets, fishing bobbers, grips for fishing rods, and tennis rackets, among other things, are just a few of the numerous uses for cork.
• It is also a high strength-to-weight/cost ablative material for wind tunnel aerodynamic prototypes, as well as compression joints in thrust-vectored solid rocket motor nozzles, payload fairings for satellite launch vehicles, and reentry surfaces.

Conclusion

Many types of woody plants have edible cambium, but because it is essential to the homeostasis and growth of woody plants, too much cambium removal could cause the plant to die. Generally speaking, the cambium can be consumed raw or cooked, and it can be crushed into flour for use in baking. Historically, cambium was used as flour in Scandinavia to produce bark bread.