terminal bud
plant anatomy
Quick Summary
Eudicotyledonous plant
Figure 1: A typical eudicotyledonous plant.
A terminal bud, also known as an apical bud, is a small protuberance on the stem of a vascular plant that can develop into a flower, leaf, or shoot. These buds originate from meristem tissue. In many plants, the terminal bud plays a crucial role in apical dominance, which is the inhibition of lateral bud growth by the terminal bud. This phenomenon influences the plant's overall growth form, often resulting in a single main trunk rather than bushy branching. In temperate climates, plants form resting buds to survive winter.1234
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