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The vascular cambium is a lateral meristem in plants responsible for secondary growth, which increases the thickness of stems and roots. It is a layer of actively dividing cells located between the xylem (wood) and phloem (bast) tissues.1

This meristem originates from undifferentiated cells that retain their ability to grow and divide. The vascular cambium produces new xylem cells towards the inside of the stem and new phloem cells towards the outside. In woody plants, this activity leads to the development of a secondary vascular system. The cambium itself is often referred to as the cambial zone, encompassing the initial cells and their immediate, undifferentiated derivatives.12

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