Secondary development

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a baby plant growing from a seed? It starts off small with just a few leaves and a stem, right? As it grows bigger, it starts to develop more complex parts like flowers and branches. This is like primary development.

Now, imagine that you have a big tree in your backyard. It’s already super tall and has lots of branches and leaves. But did you know that the tree keeps growing and developing even after it’s already big?

This is called secondary development, and it’s when the tree adds even more complex structures like thicker stems and roots. It's kind of like the tree is going through a growth spurt, just like how you might get taller and stronger as you get older.

Secondary development is really important for trees because it helps them support themselves and grow even bigger. It happens mostly in the stem and roots, where special cells called vascular cambium create new layers of tissue that help the tree grow wider and stronger.

In short, secondary development is like the tree's way of getting stronger and more stable as it gets older, just like how you might get better at running and jumping as you get older. Isn't that cool?