eristemästi

Eristemästi is an Estonian term used in botany to describe growth, development, or tissue formation that occurs through meristematic tissue. Meristems are regions of undifferentiated, actively dividing cells that enable a plant to grow in length and girth by producing new organs. The concept covers processes in which shoot apical meristems drive elongation, lateral meristems contribute to thickening, and intercalary meristems in grasses allow leaf elongation.

Meristematic cells are typically small with dense cytoplasm and large nuclei, and they retain the capacity to differentiate into various cell types. Meristematic activity is regulated by hormonal signals such as auxins and cytokinins, and by gene networks that control organ initiation, patterning, and identity.

In practice, eristemästi is used in descriptions of tissue culture, callus formation, and in vitro organogenesis, where cells maintain or regain meristematic competence. It is also relevant in pruning, regeneration, and plant recovery, where new tissues emerge from meristematic sources rather than mature tissues.

The term appears primarily in Estonian-language scientific writing but reflects a universal concept in plant biology: that meristematic activity underlies the generation of new tissue and form.