Secondary, or lateral, meristems, which are found in all woody plants and in some herbaceous ones, consist of the vascular cambium and the cork cambium. They produce secondary tissues from a ring of vascular cambium in stems and roots.

Apical, intercalary and lateral meristems are differentiated on the basis of position. Apical meristem is situated at the shoot apex and the root apex. Intercalary meristem is present at the base of internodes, e.g., in grasses or at the base of leaves e.g., in Pinus or at the base of nodes, e.g., mint.