cambium

noun

cam·bi·um | \ ˈkam-bē-əm

How to pronounce cambium (audio)

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plural cambiums or cambia\ ˈkam-bē-ə

How to pronounce cambium (audio)

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Definition of cambium

: a thin formative layer between the xylem and phloem of most vascular plants that gives rise to new cells and is responsible for secondary growth

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Examples of cambium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While this thinning wouldn’t exactly be programmed senescence,the cambium could eventually become too thin to function and kill the tree. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Trees Live for Thousands of Years, but Can They Cheat Death? Not Quite," 30 July 2020 The cambium is also responsible for producing tissues that aid in the transport of water from the tree’s roots to its shoots, Munné-Bosch writes in his paper. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Trees Live for Thousands of Years, but Can They Cheat Death? Not Quite," 30 July 2020 Redwoods develop bark that can be a foot thick that has built-in fire retardant that protects and insulates their cambium, Stenger said. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "2003 Humboldt fire shows old-growth redwoods are built to survive fire," 26 Aug. 2020 In more aged trees, genes responsible for thickening the cambium were less active, and cell division appeared to slow down, yielding thinner swaths of tissue. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Genetic Elixir of Life Helps Millennia-Old Ginkgo Trees Escape Death," 17 Jan. 2020 Around 2015, the team of experts caring for the tree noticed that the cambium layer -- the layer in the trunk responsible for transporting water and nutrients to the top of the tree -- was starting to die back, Ray explained. — Francesca Giuliani-hoffman, CNN, "A 194-year-old apple tree, the matriarch of the Northwest apple industry, has died," 22 Aug. 2020 To come to these conclusions, Dixon and his colleagues compared DNA from young and old ginkgos, focusing on cells from the leaves, as well as the cambium, a type of tissue that sprouts between a tree’s internal wood and external bark. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Genetic Elixir of Life Helps Millennia-Old Ginkgo Trees Escape Death," 17 Jan. 2020 Damage to the cambium layer, which functions to move water and nutrients from the roots to the leaf canopy. — oregonlive, "Ask an expert: Make sure rhododendrons get enough water through dry months," 3 May 2020 As the fungus advances up the trunk, the inner bark and cambium of infected roots and lower boles develop a dark cinnamon color that ends in an abrupt interface with the creamy white of healthy inner bark. — oregonlive.com, "Ask an Expert: Can you identify this very distinctive caterpillar?," 3 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cambium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Cambium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cambium. Accessed 27 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for cambium

cambium

noun

cam·bi·um | \ ˈkam-bē-əm

\

plural cambiums or cambia\ -bē-ə \

Kids Definition of cambium

: soft tissue in woody plants from which new wood and bark grow

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