Exemplar Problems

Question:

How does secondary growth differ in dicots compared to monocots?

Answer:

Secondary growth, involving an increase in girth, is common in dicots but rare in monocots. In dicots, this growth is facilitated by the vascular cambium, which produces secondary xylem and phloem, and by the cork cambium, which forms protective bark. This leads to the thickening of stems and roots. In monocots, such as grasses, secondary growth is generally absent due to the lack of a vascular cambium, resulting in a consistent stem width throughout their life.