Cork cambium - wikipedia Cork cambium Cork cambium of woody stem ( Tilia ). It is different from the main vascular cambium, which is is the ring between the wood ( xylem ) on the inside ( top ) and the red bast ( phloem ) outside it. Cork cambium ( pl. cambia or cambiums ) is a tissue found in many vascular plants as part of the epidermis. The cork cambium is a lateral meristem and is responsible for secondary growth that replaces the epidermis in roots and stems. It is found in woody and many herbaceous dicots, gymnosperms and some monocots ( monocots usually lack secondary growth ). It is one of the plant 's meristems -- the series of tissues consisting of embryonic ( incompletely differentiated ) cells from which the plant grows. It is one of the many layers of bark, between the cork and primary phloem. The function of cork cambium is to produce the cork, a tough protective material. Synonyms for cork cambium are bark cambium, pericambium and phellogen. Phellogen is defined as the meristematic cell layer responsible for the development of the periderm. Cells that grow inwards from there are termed phelloderm, and cells that develop outwards are termed phellem or cork ( note similarity with vascular cambium ). The periderm thus consists of three different layers : phelloderm -- inside of cork cambium ; composed of living parenchyma cells phellogen ( cork cambium ) -- meristem that gives rise to periderm phellem ( cork ) -- dead at maturity ; air - filled protective tissue on the outside Growth and development of cork cambium is very variable between different species, and is also highly dependent on age and growth conditions, as can be observed from the different surfaces of bark, which may be smooth, fissured, tesselated, scaly, or flaking off. Economic importance Quercus suber ( cork oak ) bark, Portugal Commercial cork is derived from the bark of the cork oak ( Quercus suber ). Cork has many uses including wine bottle stoppers, bulletin boards, coasters, hot pads to protect tables from hot pans, insulation, sealing for lids, flooring, gaskets for engines, fishing bobbers, handles for fishing rods and tennis rackets, etc. It is also a high strength - to - weight / cost ablative material for aerodynamic prototypes in wind tunnels, as well as satellite launch vehicle payload fairings, reentry surfaces, and compression joints in thrust - vectored solid rocket motor nozzles. Many types of bark are used as mulch. See also Bark Cork ( material ) Frost crack Meristem Sun scald ( flora ) Vascular cambium References ^ Jump up to : Junikka, L. ( 1994 ) `` Macroscopic bark terminology ''. IAWA Journal 15 ( 1 ) : 3 -- 45 ^ Jump up to : Trockenbrodt, M. ( 1990 ) `` Survey and discussion of the terminology used in bark anatomy ''. IAWA Bulletin, New Series 11 : 141 -- 166 Biological tissues Animals Epithelial Connective Muscular Nervous Plants Dermal tissue Epidermis : Cuticle Pavement cell Guard cell Subsidiary cell Periderm : Phellem Phelloderm Vascular tissue Phloem : Sieve tube Companion cell Phloem fiber Phloem parenchyma Xylem : Tracheid Vessel element Xylem fiber Xylem parenchyma Ground tissue Parenchyma : Chlorenchyma Aerenchyma Collenchyma Sclerenchyma : Sclereid Fiber Meristematic tissue Primary : Protoderm Procambium Ground meristem Secondary : Cork cambium Vascular cambium Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cork_cambium&oldid=820560378 '' Categories : Plant anatomy Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018 Talk About Wikipedia Català Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Galego Հայերեն Hrvatski Italiano Nederlands Polski Português Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 15 January 2018, at 09 : 25. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the function of cork to the tree
Answer: produce the cork, a tough protective material