List the characteristics of cork. How are they formed?
Answer: The characteristics of cork are as follows:
- Cells of cork are dead at maturity.
- These cells are compactly arranged.
- Cells do not posses intercellular spaces.
- Cells possess a chemical substance ‘suberin’ in their walls.
- There are several thick layers.
As plants grow older, a strip of secondary meristem replaces the epidermis of the stem. Cells on the outside are cut off from this layer. This forms the several-layer thick cork or the bark of the tree.