plant stem cells

• stem cells are found in the meristem (parts of the plants where growth occurs)
• cells in the meristem tissues can differentiate into any type of plant cell throughout the plants entire life
• these stem cells can be used to produce clones of whole plants quickly and cheaply
• they can be used to grow more plants of rare species to prevent extinction
• stem cells can also be used to grow crops of identical plants that have desired features for farmers, for example disease resistance