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.
An adult plant basically consists of a stem and a root, each with many branches (Fig. 42.1). Both the stem and root are characterized by the presence of apical growth regions which are composed of meristematic cells. These cells are the primary source for all the cell types of a plant.