Crown (botany)

The crown of a woody plant (tree, shrub, liana) is the branches, leaves, and reproductive structures extending from the trunk or main stems.

Measurements of crowns are important in quantifying and qualifying plant health, growth stage, and efficiency.

Major functions of the crown include light energy assimilation, carbon dioxide absorption and release of oxygen via photosynthesis, energy release by respiration, and movement of water to the atmosphere by transpiration.

Kraft wrote in German so here are his classes with translations: Often it has been simplified to Dominant, Co-dominant and Suppressed.

[2] Also IUFRO developed a tree classification it is based on three components with numbers that then aggregate to give a coded classification thus:[3] Ecological criteria Height component (Stand layer / Height class): Vitality component (Tree vigor / vitality): Future growth potential component (Developmental tendency / conversion tendency): and then additionally Silvicultural criteria Commercial worth Trunk class Crown class While both Kraft and IUFRO classifications are aimed at describing individual tree crowns both can and are applied to describe whole layers or storeys.