Wood Growth and Development

Amsterdam

2017

203-210

Artikel aus einem Buch

16219

40005243

Wood is the secondary xylem produced by coniferous gymnosperms (conifers) and by dicotyledonous angiosperms (flowering plants). Wood performs two main physiological functions: it conducts water from the roots to the leaves and it supports the branches and crown of trees and shrubs. Wood also provides a decorative biomaterial used in construction and to make paper, composites, and packaging products. Bamboo and palm stems, although woodlike in appearance, consist of primary xylem in the form of vascular bundles embedded in a lignified parenchyma, and hence form in a completely different way compared to true wood. The differences between primary and secondary growth are highlighted below.