Periclinal and Anticlinal Divisions in Plant Tissues

Periclinal and anticlinal divisions are two types of cell divisions that occur in the meristematic tissue of plants. Meristematic tissue is responsible for the growth and development of plants. These divisions occur in the lateral meristem, which is responsible for the growth of the plant in width.

Periclinal Division

Periclinal division is a type of cell division that occurs parallel to the surface of the plant. This division occurs in the lateral meristem, which is responsible for the growth in width. In periclinal division, the cells divide perpendicular to the axis of the stem or root. This results in the formation of new cells in the outer layers of the plant. These new cells differentiate into various types of tissues, such as epidermis, cortex, and vascular tissue.

Anticlinal Division

Anticlinal division is a type of cell division that occurs perpendicular to the surface of the plant. This division also occurs in the lateral meristem. In anticlinal division, the cells divide parallel to the axis of the stem or root. This results in the formation of new cells in the inner layers of the plant. These new cells differentiate into various types of tissues, such as xylem and phloem.

Difference between Periclinal and Anticlinal Division

The main difference between periclinal and anticlinal divisions is the orientation of the cell division. Periclinal division occurs parallel to the surface of the plant, while anticlinal division occurs perpendicular to the surface of the plant. Another difference is the location of the new cells. Periclinal division results in the formation of new cells in the outer layers of the plant, while anticlinal division results in the formation of new cells in the inner layers of the plant.

Conclusion

Periclinal and anticlinal divisions are two types of cell divisions that occur in the lateral meristem of plants. These divisions are responsible for the growth and development of the plant in width. Periclinal division occurs parallel to the surface of the plant, while anticlinal division occurs perpendicular to the surface. These divisions result in the formation of new cells in the outer and inner layers of the plant, respectively.

Periclinal cell divisions are the ones that occur parallel to the tissue or organ surface. As a result, we get rows of cells stacked one over the other.

Anticlinal cell divisions are perpendicular to the adjacent layer of cells. So, what you get is columns of cells adjacent to one another.