You encounter a shrubby-looking plant that you cannot tell if it has true wood or not. Upon cutting it open cross-sectionally, you note a layer of cork cambium. What does this tell you?

ANSWER: The presence of cork cambium depicts that the plant has undergone secondary growth.

EXPLANATION: Cork cambium is also referred to as is also known as Phellogen (a meristematic cell layer). It is found in vascular plants and located in the peridermis.

However, presence of cork cambium indicates that the plant has undergone secondary growth, which is elicited as a result of cell division in the cambia or lateral meristems, which in turn causes the stem and root to thicken.

When a plant undergoes cell division in its cambium , that  results in the thickening of the stems and the roots, such a plant is said to undergo secondary growth. Therefore if this  plant has a layer of cork cambium, definitely the plants has undergo a secondary growth, and it is not a shrub.Because  a set of small or medium sized woody plants.

It also shows the the plant is likely to be a dicot, and will eventually produce some seeds. Monocot lacks secondary growth.

Generally most  vascular plant contain cambium, and  it  forms the core parts of their peridermis.

Explanation: