What is a cork in biology?

The cork cambium, also known as cambia or cambiums, is a tissue that makes up the epidermis in many vascular plants. Between the cork and the major phloem, it is one of the numerous layers of bark. A lateral meristem called the cork cambium is in charge of the secondary growth that takes the place of the epidermis in roots and stems. It is present in several monocots, gymnosperms, and many herbaceous dicots (monocots usually lack secondary growth). It is a part of the plant's meristem, a group of tissues made up of embryonic disc cells that have not yet fully differentiated into other tissues and from which the plant develops. The cork cambium's purpose is to produce the durable protective substance cork.

The Oak's bark is used to make commercial cork (Quercus suber). Wine bottle stoppers, bulletin boards, coasters, hot pads to shield tables from hot pans, insulation, lid sealing, flooring, engine gaskets, fishing bobbers, grips for fishing rods and tennis rackets, among other things, are just a few of the numerous uses for cork. It is also a high strength-to-weight/cost-ablative material for wind tunnel aerodynamic prototypes, as well as for compression joints in thrust-vectored solid rocket motor nozzles, reentry surfaces, and payload fairings for satellite launch vehicles.

FAQs on What is a cork in biology?

Q. What is a cork in biology?

Ans. The outermost protective covering of a tree is called cork. The cork cells are tightly packed, lifeless, and have no intercellular space. Suberin, a waxy substance that coats their cell walls, prevents water and gases from passing through.