kerato- or kerat- also cerato- or cerat- pref. 1. Horn; horny: keratosis. 2. Cornea: keratectomy. [Greek kerÄto-, horn, from keras, kerÄt-; see ker- in Indo-European roots.] kerato- or before a vowel kerat- combining form 1. indicating horn or a horny substance: keratin; keratogenous. 2. (Medicine) indicating the cornea: keratoplasty. [from Greek kerat-, keras horn] kerato- a combining form meaning âcorneaâ: keratoplasty.
Early root growth is one of the functions of the apical meristem located near the tip of the root. The meristem cells more or less continuously divide, producing more meristem, root cap cells (these are sacrificed to protect the meristem), and undifferentiated root cells.
Meristems can be, and usually are, at the growing tips of the plants, where they are called apical meristems. Most plants add new cells from the tips out, not evenly all over and not from the bottom up - in the other parts of the plant, the cells grow but do not divide.