Apical cells occur only at the tip of a shoot axis apex, leaf apex, root apex, thallus apex, or protonema in bryophytes and some pteridophytes. Apical growth results from division of a single meristematic cell located at the tip of an apical meristem or plant organ, rather than from a population of meristematic cells located at the tip of an apical meristem. The apical cell may be tetrahedral shaped, with three (in shoots) or four (in roots) cutting faces, or wedge-shaped (lenticular) with two cutting faces (in non-vascular leaves or thalli). An apical cell may be established upon germination of a spore or upon the first cell division of an embryo, or later.

Apical cells occur only at the tip of a shoot axis apex, leaf apex, root apex, thallus apex, or protonema in bryophytes and some pteridophytes. Apical growth results from division of a single meristematic cell located at the tip of an apical meristem or plant organ, rather than from a population of meristematic cells located at the tip of an apical meristem. The apical cell may be tetrahedral shaped, with three (in shoots) or four (in roots) cutting faces, or wedge-shaped (lenticular) with two cutting faces (in non-vascular leaves or thalli). An apical cell may be established upon germination of a spore or upon the first cell division of an embryo, or later.

A single meristematic cell (PO:0004010) at the tip of a plant structure where apical growth occurs.

apical cell

meristematic apical cell