Label Tree Anatomy

branches: woody parts of the tree that grow from the trunk.

cambium: a single layer of living cells in the trunk that is located between the sapwood and the inner bark. The cambium produces the sapwood (on the inside of the cambium) and the inner bark (on the outside of the cambium).

canopy of leaves: the upper parts of the tree, where the branches and leaves are located.

heartwood: the core of the trunk, which contains very strong, dead tissue that supports the tree.

inner bark (phloem): the layer of the trunk through which the tree’s food flows - it is located between the outer bark and the cambium. When this short-lived layer dies, it is called cork.

outer bark: the protective outer layer of the trunk.

roots: structures that obtain food and water from the soil, store energy, and provide support for the plant. Most roots grow underground.

sapwood: the layers of wood just outside the heartwood. Each year a new layer of wood is formed (by cambium tissue), forming an annual ring. Sap (containing water and some nutrients) is transported in this layer. Older, inner rings of sapwood eventually become heartwood. You can tell the age of a tree by counting its annual rings.

trunk: the main support of the tree.