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Secondary Growth: Vascular Cambium and Cork Cambium

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Secondary growth thickens a stem through cell division in two lateral meristems: the vascular cambium, adding xylem and phloem, and the cork cambium, adding bark.

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A woody stem's vascular cambium divides to form new xylem inward and new phloem outward each growing season.

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Secondary growth occurs in some dicots but rarely in monocots, which mostly lack the lateral meristems it depends on.