# Talk:Trunk (botany)

Isn't trunk more a horticultural and gardening term than a botanical one? A main trunk marks the dirrerence between a small tree and a large shrub in gardening practice. Wetman 03:51, 13 Apr 2004 (UTC)

No, as discussed in the article, "trunk" is a botanical term defined to occur only in certain types of plants. It is characterised by secondary growth. I appreciate that it is also used in common and gardening vernaculars. Cheers, Dracophyllum 20:42, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

Having come across a confusing puzzle in the Pando article and the Quaking Aspen article, I'm trying to figure something out.  What's the distinction between a trunk and a stem?  Is a trunk a specialized stem, or an entirely different structure?  Geofferic T•C✡ 04:01, 9 May 2011 (UTC)
I would recommend this page should be a subsection of the plant stem page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_stem). A trunk is just a woody stem. Ggmcnickle (talk) 21:30, 18 January 2017 (UTC

Replying to all. Yes, a trunk is just a type of stem that is woody. However, there is significant literature discussing trunks in their own right. Indeed, while this article overlaps with Plant stem, Tree, Wood, and others, it presents a unique and notable topic which includes more detail than would be allowed in those articles. Cheers, Dracophyllum 20:45, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

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Frazie25 (talk) 05:38, 11 February 2018 (UTC)

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Log (wood). Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so.  Steel1943 (talk) 00:29, 7 November 2019 (UTC)