Bark of a Pine tree in Tecpan, Guatemala.
Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of
woody plants such as trees. It overlays the wood and consists of three layers, the cork, the phloem, and the vascular cambium.
Botanic description
In young stems of woody plants like trees and shrubs and some perennial vines, the bark is made up of these tissues arranged from the outside surface to the inside:
- Cork - an external, secondary tissue impermeable to water and gases.
- Cork cambium - A layer of cells , normally one or two cell layers thick that
is in a persistent meristematic state that produces cork.
- Phelloderm - (not always present) A layer of cells formed in some plants from the inner cells of the cork cambium
(Cork is produced from the outer layer).
- Cortex - The primary tissue of stems and roots. In stems the cortex is between the
epidermis layer and the phloem, in roots the inner layer is not phloem but the pericycle.
- Phloem - nutrient conducting tissue composed of sieve tube or sieve cells mixed with
parenchyma and fibers.
In old stems the epidermal layer, cortex, and primary phloem become separated from the inner tissues by thicker formations of
cork. Due to the thickening cork layer these cells die because they do not receive water and nutrients. This dead layer is the
rough corky bark that forms around tree trunks and other stems. In smaller stems and on typically non woody plants, sometimes a
secondary covering forms called the periderm, which is made up of cork cambian, cork and
phelloderm. It replaces the dermal layer and acts as a covering much like the corky bark, it too is made up of mostly dead
tissue. The skin on the potato is a periderm.
Definitions of the term can vary. In another usage, bark consists of the dead and protective tissue found on the outside of a
woody stem, and does not include the vascular tissue.
The vascular cambium is the only part of a woody stem where cell division occurs. It contains undifferentiated cells that divide rapidly to produce secondary
xylem to the inside and secondary phloem to the outside.
Along with the xylem, the phloem is one of the two tissues inside a plant that are involved
with fluid transport. The phloem transports organic molecules (particularly sugars) to wherever
they are needed.
Uses
Cork, sometimes confused with bark in colloquial speech, is the outermost layer of a woody stem, derived from the
cork cambium. It serves as protection against damage, parasites and diseases, as well as dehydration and extreme temperatures.
Cork can contain antiseptics like tannins. Some cork is
substantially thicker, providing further insulation and giving the bark a characteristic structure, in some cases thick enough to
be harvestable as cork product without killing the tree.
The bark of some trees is edible.
Among the commercial products made from bark are cork, cinnamon, quinine (from the bark of Cinchona) and aspirin (from the bark of willow
trees). The bark of some trees notably oak (Quercus robur) is a source of tannic acid, which is used in tanning.
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See also
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