exÂ·peÂ·dite. (Äkâ²spÄ­-dÄ«tâ²) tr.v. exÂ·peÂ·ditÂ·ed, exÂ·peÂ·ditÂ·ing, exÂ·peÂ·dites. To speed up the progress of or execute quickly: expedite the review of a legal case; expedite a loan application.
The cortex, composed primarily of parenchyma cells, is the largest part of the primary root, but in most dicots (eudicots) and in gymnosperms that undergo extensive secondary growth, it is soon crushed, and its storage function assumed by other tissues.
In woody plants, primary growth is followed by secondary growth, which allows the plant stem to increase in thickness or girth. Secondary vascular tissue is added as the plant grows, as well as a cork layer. The bark of a tree extends from the vascular cambium to the epidermis.