apical dominance

noun Botany.

suppression of the development of lateral buds in a growing plant shoot, caused by hormones produced in the tip of the shoot.

Origin of apical dominance

First recorded in 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

apical dominance in Science

[ā′pĭ-kəl, ăp′ĭ-]

Inhibition of the growth of lateral buds by the terminal bud of a plant shoot. In most plants, apical dominance results from the release of auxin by the apical meristem.