Woody plant

A perennial plant that develops persistent stems or roots strengthened by wood. Its woody tissues support growth over multiple seasons and distinguish it from herbaceous plants.

Secondary growth: Plant growth that increases the thickness of stems and roots through cell division in lateral meristems. It thickens persistent stems and roots, producing much of a woody plant’s framework.
Herbaceous plant: A plant whose above-ground stems are generally soft and lack substantial persistent wood. Herbaceous plants contrast with woody plants in the structure and persistence of their stems.
Apical meristem: A region of dividing cells at a shoot or root tip that produces primary growth. It extends woody shoots and roots before or alongside their thickening.
Forest: An ecosystem dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. Forests are large-scale communities formed primarily by woody plants.
Tree line: The boundary beyond which environmental conditions prevent tree growth. Shifts in tree lines reveal changing limits on woody plant survival.
Vascular cambium: A lateral meristem that produces secondary xylem inward and secondary phloem outward. Its activity adds the wood and inner bark that enlarge many woody stems.
Tree: A perennial woody plant with a persistent main stem, or trunk, supporting an elevated crown. Trees are a familiar growth form within the wider range of woody plants.
Cork cambium: A lateral meristem that produces protective cork cells and contributes to the periderm. It forms replacement protective tissue as expanding woody stems outgrow their epidermis.
Wood: The hard, fibrous secondary xylem of trees and other woody plants. Wood is the structural tissue that makes many woody plants useful as material.
Dendrochronology: The dating and analysis of annual growth rings in trees and other woody plants. Wood records past growth conditions that help test how woody plants respond to climate.

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