annual ring
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.
More From encyclopedia.com
About this article
annual rings
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
annual rings