The epiphyseal plate, also known as the growth plate, is a layer of cartilage located between the epiphysis and diaphysis of long bones. It plays a crucial role in bone growth during childhood and adolescence, allowing bones to lengthen as a person grows. The plate consists of several zones where cartilage cells proliferate, mature, and eventually calcify, leading to bone formation. Once a person reaches skeletal maturity, the epiphyseal plate gradually ossifies and transforms into an epiphyseal line, signaling the end of growth in length. This process is influenced by hormones such as growth hormone and sex hormones, which regulate the activity of the cartilage cells within the plate.