A thin layer of actively dividing cells between the xylem and phloem in woody plants that produces new vascular tissue. The cambium is responsible for secondary growth, increasing the plant's diameter.
From Latin 'cambiare' meaning to exchange or change, first used botanically in 1671. The name reflects how this tissue constantly changes, producing new cells that differentiate into either xylem or phloem.
The cambium is like a cellular assembly line that's only one cell thick but runs the entire length and circumference of a tree - it's the reason trees get thicker each year and why you can kill a tree by cutting through the bark all the way around!
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