Indeterminate growth continues throughout a plant’s life, while determinate growth stops when a plant element (such as a leaf) reaches a particular size.Primary growth of stems is a result of rapidly-dividing cells in the apical meristems at the shoot tips.Apical dominance reduces the growth along the sides of branches and stems, giving the tree a conical shape.The growth of the lateral meristems, which includes the vascular cambium and the cork cambium (in woody plants), increases the thickness of the stem during secondary growth.Cork cells (bark) protect the plant against physical damage and water loss; they contain a waxy substance known as suberin that prevents water from penetrating the tissue.The secondary xylem develops dense wood during the fall and thin wood during the spring, which produces a characteristic ring for each year of growth.