A.L. Gorham’s scientific contributions

... The interxylary cork is a protective plant tissue, allowing increased resistance to adversity and improved maintenance of the water balance of plants in arid and water deficient geographical environments for a long time (Hu & Zhang, 1993;Lu, 1993). As early as 1953, Moss and Gorham mention the importance of the interxylary cork as protection against desiccation and for the adaptation of plants to their habitats, mainly dry and wind-blown soil (Moss, 1953). In Artemisia dracunculoides, the interxylary cork may be an important factor in plant adaptation to arid habitats and protection against the invasion of micro-organisms (West, Espeleta, & Donovan, 2003). ...

Reference:

Programmed cell death during the formation of rhytidome and interxylary cork in roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Leguminosae)