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How do apical meristems differ from vascular cambium in a tree?

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temperate softwoods and hardwoods selected to show variations — wood Temperate softwoods (left column) and hardwoods (right column), selected to highlight natural variations in colour and figure: (A) Douglas fir, (B) sugar pine, (C) redwood, (D) white oak, (E) American sycamore, and (F) black cherry. Each image shows (from left to right) transverse, radial, and tangential surfaces. Click on an individual image for an enlarged view.

Apical meristems and the vascular cambium are both regions of active cell division in trees, but they differ significantly in their location, function, and the type of growth they produce.

Apical Meristems

Located at the tips of roots and shoots, apical meristems are responsible for primary growth. They form the primary plant body by producing new cells that allow the tree to extend in length and develop new organs, such as leaves and buds. The tissues derived from these meristems are known as primary tissues.123

Vascular Cambium

In contrast, the vascular cambium is a lateral meristem that runs the length of the stems and roots. It is responsible for secondary growth, which is the increase in the tree's girth or thickness. This meristem organizes between the primary xylem and primary phloem, producing secondary xylem (wood) toward the inside and secondary phloem toward the outside.4215

While apical meristems consist of a population of similar cells, the vascular cambium is composed of two distinct cell types: fusiform initials, which give rise to the axial system, and ray initials, which form the radial system.15