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Internode or stem unit: a problem of terminology

Informally Refereed

Abstract

In recent years the term stem unit (SU) has increasingly supplanted internode in the literature of conifer shoot growth, especially since the adoption of SU in a collection of papers titled "Tree Physiology and Yield Improvement" (Cannell and Last 1976). In standard botanical terminology, a node is the point on a stem where one or more lateral appendages (foliage or scale leaves) are attached, and an internode is the portion of stem between two successive nodes. The original meaning of SU was more inclusive than internode, and the current practice of using SU and internode interchangeably has had two negative effects. It makes SU unavailable for use in its original sense, and it creates an obstacle to communication among students of shoot growth.

Citation

Critchfield, William B. 1985. Internode or stem unit: a problem of terminology. Forest Sci., Vol. 31(4): p. 911-912
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/32760