Branch 40814 225910969 2008-07-15T23:48:56Z JackLumber 768638 too many colons {{otheruses}} {{wiktionary|branch}} [[Image:White Branches.jpg|thumb]] [[Image:Tree Leaves.JPG|thumb|200px|The branches and leaves of a tree.]] A '''branch''' ([[American English]] {{IPAEng|ˈbræntʃ}}, [[British English]] {{IPAEng|ˈbrɑːntʃ}}) or '''tree branch''' (sometimes referred to in [[botany]] as a '''ramus''') is a woody structural [[Limb (anatomy)|member]] connected to but not part of the central [[trunk (botany)|trunk]] of a [[tree]] (or sometimes a [[shrub]]). Large branches are known as '''boughs''' and small branches are known as '''twigs'''. While branches can be nearly horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, the majority of trees have upwardly diagonal branches. The term "twig" often refers to a [[terminus|terminal branch]], while "bough" refers only to branches coming directly from the trunk. ==Words== Because of the enormous quantity of branches in the world, there are a variety of names in [[English language|English]] alone for them. In general however, unspecific words for a branch (such as '''rise''' and '''rame''') have been [[archaism|replaced]] by the word branch itself. ===Specific terms=== A bough can also be called a '''limb''' or '''arm''', and though these are arguably [[metaphor]]s, both are widely accepted [[synonym]]s for bough.<ref>[http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=limb "limb" on Merriam-Webster.]</ref><ref>[http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=arm "arm" on Merriam-Webster.]</ref> A [[twig]] is frequently referred to as a '''sprig''' as well, especially when it has been plucked.<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861712698 "sprig" on Encarta.]</ref> Other words for twig include '''branchlet''', '''spray''', and '''surcle''', as well as 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 '''[[withy|withies]]''', which come from [[willow]]s. Often trees have certain words which, in English, are naturally [[collocation|collocated]], such as [[holly]] and [[mistletoe]], which usually employ the phrase "sprig of" (as in, a "sprig of mistletoe"). Similarly, the branch of a [[cherry|cherry tree]] is generally referred to as a "cherry branch", while other such formations (i.e., "[[acacia]] branch" or "[[orange (fruit)|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 is most commonly referred to as a '''stick''', and a stick employed for some purpose (such as [[walking]], [[spanking]], or [[beating up|beating]]) is often called a '''rod'''. Thin, flexible sticks are called '''[[Switch (rod)|switch]]es''', '''wands''', '''shrags''', or '''vimina''' (singular '''vimen'''). ===History and etymology=== 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 surves as the "-toe" in mistletoe.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/64/M0346400.html "mistletoe" on American Heritage.]</ref> ==Images== <gallery> Image:Knoten Ast.jpg|Branch tied up with a piece of bast. Image:Branch, Karavanke.jpg|Twigs on a tree in [[Karawanken]] of [[Austria]]. Image:Branches konary.jpg|The boughs of trees in [[Konary]], [[Poland]]. Image:Emirgan 04589.jpg|Twisted branches in Emirgan Park, [[Istanbul]]. Image:Shaped tree branches Tenerife.JPG|Tree branches in [[Tenerife]], [[Spain]]. Image:BristleConeBranch.jpg|The branch of a [[bristlecone pine]] in the [[Snake Range]] of [[Nevada]]. Image:Buddleja davidii branch.jpg|A branch of [[orange eye]]. Image:Quercus acutissima branch.jpg|The branch of a [[sawtooth oak]] (''Quercus acutissima'') in [[Porto]], [[Portugal]]. Image:Nectarine branch surachit.jpg|A [[peach|nectarine]] spray. Image:Juniperus scopulorum branch.jpg|The branch of a [[Rocky Mountain juniper]] (''Juniperus scopulorum''). Image:Acacia greggii branch.jpg|A branch of [[Acacia greggii|devil's claw]] (''Acacia greggii'') in [[Las Vegas metropolitan area|Las Vegas]]. Image:Acacia-seyal-branch.jpg|A branch of [[red acacia]] (''Acacia seyal'') in [[Baden-Württemberg]], [[Germany]]. Image:Acacia constricta branch.jpg|A branch of [[whitethorn acacia]] (''Acacia constricta'') in [[Las Vegas metropolitan area|Las Vegas]]. Image:Cherry-branch-02.jpg|A [[cherry]] branch in [[Paris]]. Image:Solanum pyracanthon branch.jpg|A branch of [[porcupine tomato]] (''Solanum pyracanthum'') in [[Krefeld]], [[Germany]]. Image:Pinus contorta latifolia branch.jpg|A branch of [[lodgepole pine]] in [[North Dakota]]. Image:Longitudinally split willow branch.JPG|A [[willow]] bough in [[Bechtelsville]], [[Pennsylvania]]. Image:Pine branch with Marchalina hellenica honeydew.jpg|[[Turkish pine]] branches in [[Athens]]. Image:Kolkatta - Botanical Gardens - Banyan Tree branch.jpg|A [[banyan]] branch in [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[India]]. Image:Ceiba sp branches.jpg|The boughs of a [[floss silk tree]] in [[Rosario]], [[Argentina]]. </gallery> ==See also== *[[Root]] *[[Trunk (botany)]] *[[Plant stem]] *[[stolon|Runner]] *[[Shoot]] *[[basal shoot|Sucker]] *[[Wand]] *[[Switch (rod)]] *[[Staff (stick)]] ==Reference== {{reflist}} [[Category:Botany]] [[da:Gren (plantedel)]] [[de:Ast]] [[es:rama]] [[eo:Branĉo]] [[io:Brancho]] [[it:Ramo]] [[nl:Tak (plant)]] [[ja:分枝 (生物学)]] [[nn:Grein]] [[pl:Gałąź]] [[pt:Galho]] [[qu:K'allma]] [[ru:Ветвь]] [[simple:Branch]] [[th:ตาก (แก้ความกำกวม)]]