Explain Ground Meristem in Primary Root Growth?
To review, the protoderm is the primary tissue that eventually forms the outside layer that covers the root and shoot and leaves, and the procambium generates the primary vascular tissue that will eventually become the xylem and phloem. The ground meristem is the third type of primary tissue, and it gives rise to the plant tissues collectively referred to as the ground tissue, or fundamental tissue .
Ground tissue is found in shoots and roots in between the outside epidermal layer and the endodermis. Recall that the endodermis itself is a highly modified cylindrical layer of ground tissue. The name given to this kind of ground tissue is cortex. The pith tissue forming the internal core of the stele are also parenchyma cells, derived from the ground meristem. Cortex and pith function to store sugars and starches normally. Cortex in the root also is involved in the diffusion of dissolved substances from the epidermis to the endodermal cells.