structure of a tree![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The tree is composed of an underground part, the roots, and two aboveground parts, the trunk and the crown.
trunk ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Main part of the tree extending between the soil and the lower branches.
bole ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Part of the tree trunk extending between the stump and the first lower limbs; it has no offshoots.
limb ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Offshoot growing directly out of a tree trunk, subsequently dividing into branches and twigs.
twig ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The most slender offshoot of a tree branch.
crown ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Part of the tree above the trunk, including the branches and the foliage.
radicle ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The most slender offshoot of a tree root.
shallow root ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Root, often having many offshoots, growing somewhat horizontally into the rich moist topsoil.
taproot ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
First root growing out of the seed that grows vertically into the soil; it usually has few offshoots, its main function being to anchor the tree in the ground.
branch ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Offshoot of one of the tree’s limbs.
top ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Apex of the tree’s crown.
branches ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The aggregate of larger and smaller branches that provide support for the tree’s leaves, flowers and fruit.
foliage ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The aggregate of the leaves on a tree; it is especially adapted to capture light and perform photosynthesis.
root-hair zone ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Part of the radicle covered in small absorbent hairs that ensure the tree is supplied with mineral salts and water.