annual ring

views updated May 21 2018

annual ring (growth ring) Concentric circles visible in cross-sections of woody stems or trunks. Each year the cambium layer produces a layer of xylem, the vessels of which are large and thin-walled in the spring and smaller and thick-walled in the summer, creating a contrast between the rings. Used to determine the age of trees, the thickness of these rings also reveals environmental conditions during a tree's lifetime.

annual ring

views updated May 09 2018

annual ring See tree ring.

annual ring

views updated May 14 2018

annual ring See TREE-RING.

annual ring

views updated May 29 2018

annual ring See growth ring.