BRANCH, in Botany, an arm of a tree, or a part which, sprouting out from the trunk, helps to form the head or crown thereof. Branches do not spring out of the mere surface of the trunk, but are profoundly rooted therein, so as not only to penetrate into the cortical, but also the woody substance, and even the pith. The constituent parts therefore of a branch are the same as of the trunk, viz. skin, bark, wood, and pith. See the article PLANTS.