Growth form

Title

Growth form

Definition

The life form of a plant; e.g., herb, tree, or shrub. Same as habit.

Notes

In the Lecythidaceae, the growth form is almost always that of a tree but sometimes species, such as Eschweilera nana, may be interpreted as shrubs. The trees usually can be classified into understory, canopy, and emergent trees. Growth form also indicates the different types of growth forms in trees found of Lecythidaceae, for the most part they can be classified as pachycauls or leptocauls but those growth forms can be even further subdivided.

Related Terms

Habit

Understory tree

Canopy tree

Emergent tree