A branch , also called a ramus in botany , is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.
12-471: A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or bush . The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark are also important, in addition to the thickness and nature of any pith of the twig. There are two types of twigs: vegetative twigs and fruiting spurs . Fruiting spurs are specialized twigs that generally branch off
24-536: A terminus , while bough refers only to branches coming directly from the trunk. Due to a broad range of species of trees, branches and twigs can be found in many different shapes and sizes. While branches can be nearly horizontal , vertical, or diagonal , the majority of trees have upwardly diagonal branches. A number of mathematical properties are associated with tree branchings; they are natural examples of fractal patterns in nature, and, as observed by Leonardo da Vinci , their cross-sectional areas closely follow
36-462: A "sprig of mistletoe"). Similarly, the branch of a cherry tree is generally referred to as a "cherry branch", while other such formations (i.e., " acacia branch" or " orange branch") carry no such alliance. A good example of this versatility is oak , which could be referred to as variously an "oak branch", an "oaken branch", a "branch of oak", or the "branch of an oak tree". Once a branch has been cut or in any other way removed from its source, it
48-614: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This plant morphology article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Branch In Old English , there are numerous words for branch, including seten , stofn , telgor , and hrīs . There are also numerous descriptive words, such as blēd (that is, something that has bled, or 'bloomed', out), bōgincel (literally 'little bough'), ōwæstm (literally 'on growth'), and tūdornes (literally 'offspringing'). Numerous other words for twigs and boughs abound, including tān , which still survives as
60-574: Is also used to refer to any type of flexible rod of natural wood used in rural crafts such as hazel or ash created through coppicing or pollarding . Several species and hybrid cultivars of willows (often known as osiers) are grown for withy production; typical species include Salix acutifolia , Salix daphnoides , Salix × mollissima , Salix purpurea , Salix triandra , and Salix viminalis . Places such as Wythenshawe and Withy Grove (both in Manchester ) take their names from
72-402: Is due to their high amounts of stored carbon dioxide used in photosynthesis . Twigs are a feature of tool use by non-humans . For example, chimpanzees have been observed using twigs to go "fishing" for termites, and elephants have been reported using twigs to scratch parts of their ears and mouths which could not be reached by rubbing against a tree. This material -related article
84-463: Is most commonly referred to as a stick , and a stick employed for some purpose (such as walking , spanking , or beating ) is often called a rod . Thin, flexible sticks are called switches , wands , shrags , or vimina (singular vimen ). Withy A withy or withe (also willow and osier ) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching , basketmaking , gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles . The term
96-439: The -toe in mistletoe . Latin words for branch are ramus or cladus . The latter term is an affix found in other modern words such as cladodont (prehistoric sharks with branched teeth), cladode (flattened leaf-like branches), or cladogram (a branched diagram showing relations among organisms). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs . The term twig usually refers to
108-419: The da Vinci branching rule . A bough can also be called a limb or arm , and though these are arguably metaphors , both are widely accepted synonyms for bough. A crotch or fork is an area where a trunk splits into two or more boughs. A twig is frequently referred to as a sprig as well, especially when it has been plucked. Other words for twig include branchlet , spray , and surcle , as well as
120-442: The sides of branches and are stubby and slow-growing, with many annular ring markings from seasons past. The twig's age and rate of growth can be determined by counting the winter terminal bud scale scars, or annular ring marking, across the diameter of the twig. Twigs can be useful in starting a fire . They can be used as kindling wood, bridging the gap between highly flammable tinder (dry grass and leaves) and firewood . This
132-459: The technical terms surculus and ramulus . Branches found under larger branches can be called underbranches . Some branches from specific trees have their own names, such as osiers and withes or withies , which come from willows . Often trees have certain words which, in English, are naturally collocated , such as holly and mistletoe , which usually employ the phrase "sprig of" (as in,
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#1732797781374144-452: The willow woods and groves that grew there in earlier times. The Somerset Levels remain the only area in the UK growing basket willow commercially. Withies were used to mark minor tidal channels in UK harbours and estuaries. In many places they remain in use as of 2015 and are often marked on navigation charts. At high tide the tops of a line of withies stuck in the mud on one or both sides of
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