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| Billie Silvey |
| July 2007 |
| Trees are long-lived woody plants that continue growing until they die. They are found all over the world. Trees essentially have three major parts--roots, trunk and canopy. |
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| The Anatomy Of a Tree |
| Roots. Roots are the part of the tree that grows under the surface of the soil, anchoring the tree in place. The root system below the ground may reach three times further than the branches spread above. Root hairs on the ends of the roots spread to reach oxygen and moisture. The branches conserve the moisture that falls or condenses on them. That moisture falls to the ground, where the roots absorb it to feed the tree. The roots on one side of the tree normally supply the foliage on that side of the tree. If roots are damaged, the corresponding branches on that side of the tree may die back or drop. |
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| Trunk. The trunk is filled with a collection of tubes, which carry water and minerals from the roots to the leaves. Sapwood holds the tubes. The bark, or outer layer of the trunk protects the trees from insects and disease. Each year’s fresh bark becomes a ring inside the tree, which allows us to count the years of the tree’s life. Trees are the longest-lived plants in the world. The heartwood is the oldest, deadest and most tightly compacted part of the tree. It helps support the structure. |
| Canopy. The canopy of the tree includes the network of branches and the leaves, fruit, flowers and seeds they produce. The branches hold up the leaves, miniature factories which combine water from the roots, sunlight striking their surfaces and carbon dioxide from the air with chlorophyll as a catalyst to produce food for the tree. The procedure is called photosynthesis. The inner bark then carries that food from the leaves to feed the other parts of the tree. |
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