Plant Development

plants · growth · biology · how plants work

Growing tips at the top. Plants have special areas called meristems at the tips of roots and shoots that keep making new cells forever. This is why plants can grow taller and sprout new branches and leaves their whole life long.

Different from animals. Unlike animals, which are born with all their body parts and just get bigger, plants keep building brand new structures like leaves, roots, and flowers throughout their entire lives.

Built-in baby tissues. Because plants have meristems, they always have embryonic (baby) tissues ready to grow. These young tissues are tucked away at the tips of buds, shoots, and roots, waiting to spring into action.

Five key structures. The most important things plants make are buds, shoots, roots, leaves, and flowers. All of these grow from those special meristem zones and help the plant survive and reproduce.

Developmental stages. Both plants and animals go through a special stage called the phylotypic stage as they develop, which limits how different their body shapes can be. This stage evolved separately in each group but has a similar effect.