bark
Sign in to saveplant tissue outside the vascular cambium or the xylem; in older trees may be divided into dead outer bark and living inner bark, which consists of secondary phloem. external parenchymal tissue, located just below the epidermis of the stem
AI overview
Bark is the protective outer layer of a tree or woody plant, consisting of dead outer tissue and living inner tissue that contains the plant's food-conducting vessels. It matters because it shields the tree from damage, disease, and environmental stress while allowing the living inner bark to transport nutrients throughout the plant.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
The bark of Pinus thunbergii is made up of countless shiny layers. Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines, and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner bark, which in older stems is living tissue, includes the innermost layer of the periderm. The outer bark on older stems includes the dead tissue on the surface of the stems, along with parts of the outermost periderm and all the tissues on the outer side of the periderm. The outer bark on trees which lies external to the living periderm is also called the rhytidome.
Products derived from bark include bark shingle siding and wall coverings, spices, and other flavorings, tanbark for tannin, resin, latex, medicines, poisons, various hallucinogenic chemicals, and cork. Bark has been used to make cloth, canoes, and ropes and used as a surface for paintings and map making. A number of plants are also grown for their attractive or interesting bark colorations and surface textures or their bark is used as landscape mulch.