growth ring: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	annual ring

Photos and Videos

A cross section of a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) tree trunk shows annual growth rings, with labeled points marking key life events such as seedling growth, insect damage, fire, and mature stages. Small illustrations around the trunk depict these events, including a young seedling, growing tree, insect infestation, fire damage, and the tree's mature and dead forms.

Annual rings in the trunk of a tree at its base

transverse section of eastern white pine

Illustration of a tree trunk cross-section with labeled features including outer and inner bark, sapwood, heartwood, pith, and growth rings, plus radial, tangential, and transverse surfaces.

How high can a tree grow?

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Topics

earlywood latewood false ring plant plant development photosynthesis plant reproductive system Plant cell nectar Tropism angiosperm fern bryophyte conifer