Short shoot and long shoot

Part 1 of the panel shows a branch of the European larch ( Larix decidua ) with one long and several short shoots

European larch short shoots ( Larix decidua )

In botany, a short shoot ( brachyblast ) is a shoot in which the growth in length is reduced, i.e. H. in which the stems ( internodes ) are compressed. The leaves or side shoots then sit tightly against it. In contrast, a long shoot is the term used for a shoot with normal or increased growth in length, in which the leaves are normally distant.

Many plant species have distinct long and short shoots. A typical example is the larch . The annual shoots at the ends of the branches are long shoots. They grow about 10-30 centimeters in a year and the leaves (needles) stand individually on them. On the older branches there are short shoots that do not grow more than a few millimeters a year and on which the leaves are rosettes. The picture on the right shows such short shoots.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ K. Schumann: Practical course for morphological and systematic botany. Reprint of the original from 1904. 1st edition, TP Verone Publishing House, 2016. ( excerpt )
2. ↑ G. Dahlgren (Ed.): Systematic Botany. Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-71611-9 . (Reading sample)