Cellular Structure

Abstract

In Chapter 2, attention was drawn to the presence between the bark and the wood of living cells capable of subdividing to form new wood or bark cells. Attention was also drawn to the three functions that the trunk of a tree has to perform. Following their formation, the new cells on the woody side of the cambium undergo, over a period of up to three weeks, a series of changes which is known as cell differentiation. The cells tend to change shape and a secondary wall is formed, the structure of which is presented in Chapter 4. The cell dies and the degenerated cell contents are frequently found lining the cell wall; the cell is now ready to assume one or more of the three basic functions of conduction, support and storage.