Many conifers show particularly strong apical dominance, strongest of all in the family Araucariaceae, showing a single erect central trunk with strongly differentiated horizontal branching. Cuttings of Araucariaceae species taken from a side branch will not develop erect growth. Araucaria heterophylla, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia.

In plant physiology, apical dominance is the phenomenon whereby the main central stem of the plant is dominant over (i.e., grows more strongly than) other side stems, and on a branch, the main stem of the branch is further dominant over its own side branchlets. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1488x1984, 635 KB) Summary Description: Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle Langlois Licence: Released under GFDL and Creative Commons... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1488x1984, 635 KB) Summary Description: Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) Location: Near the beach at Murramarang National Park, South Durras, New South Wales, Australia Date: 2005-09-24 Source: picture taken by Danielle Langlois Licence: Released under GFDL and Creative Commons... Orders & Families Cordaitales† Pinales   Pinaceae- Pine family   Araucariaceae- Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae- Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae- Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae- Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae- Plum-yew family   Taxaceae- Yew family Vojnovskyales† Voltziales† The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Genera Agathis Araucaria Wollemia The Araucariaceae are a very ancient family of conifers. ... Binomial name Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...

Understanding the principle of apical dominance is helpful when embarking upon any regime of tree or other plant management. Plants form new tissue in an area called the meristem, located near the tips of roots and shoots, where active cell division takes place. Meristem growth is aimed at ensuring that leaves are quickly elevated into sunlight, and that roots are able to penetrate deeply into the soil. Once adequate height and length is achieved by the stems and roots, they will begin to thicken to give support to the plant. On the shoots, these growing tips of the plant are known as apical buds. The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... A meristem is a tissue in plants consisting of unspecialized, youthful cells (meristematic cells) and found in zones of the plant where growth can take place - the roots and shoots. ... Soil is the material on the surface of a lithosphere subject to weathering, and especially the earthy portion of that material. ...

The apical bud (or tip) produces the growth hormone auxin, which not only promotes cell division, but also diffuses downwards and inhibits the development of lateral bud growth which would otherwise compete with the apical tip for light and nutrients. Removing the apical tip and its suppressive hormone, allows the lower dormant lateral buds to develop, and the buds between the leaf stalk and stem produce new shoots which compete to become the lead growth. Manipulating this natural response to damage (known as the principle of apical dominance) by processes such as pruning (as well as coppicing and pollarding) allows the horticulturist to determine the shape, size and productivity of many fruiting trees and bushes. A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... IAA appears to be the most active Auxin in plant growth. ... Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management, by which young tree stems are cut down to a foot or less from ground level. ... Pollarding is a woodland management method of encouraging lateral branches by cutting off a tree stem two metres or so above ground level. ...

Severe pruning of Photinia × fraseri removed terminal buds and stimulated lateral bud growth. Georgetown, South Carolina.

Some fruit trees have strong apical dominance, and young trees can become "leggy," with poor side limb development. One can reduce the apical dominance in this case, or in cases where limbs are broken off by accident, but cutting off the auxin flow above side buds that one wishes to stimulate. This is often done by orchardists for young trees. Select the bud along the leader (stem) where one desires a side branch to develop, or where one already is present, but growing too weakly. With a sharp knife make a horizontal cut about a half inch above it, just deep enough to break the cambium layer, and only about a quarter of the way around the stem. This breaks the flow of auxins that had suppressed its growth. Later, when a bud breaks, it can be trained or pruned as needed. Severely pruned Redtip Photinia Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 04:00, Nov 9, 2004 (UTC) ( ) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Severely pruned Redtip Photinia Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 04:00, Nov 9, 2004 (UTC) ( ) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Species About 50; see text Photinia is a genus of about 40-60 species of small trees and large shrubs in the Rosaceae. ... Historic Front Street Georgetown is a city located in Georgetown County, South Carolina. ...

Occasionally strong apical dominance is advantageous, as in the "Ballerina" apple trees. These trees are intended to be grown in small gardens, and their strong apical dominance combined with a dwarfing rootstock gives a compact narrow tree with very short fruiting side brances. Binomial name Malus domestica Borkh. ... Propagation of fruit trees is usually carried out asexually by grafting the desired variety onto a suitable rootstock. ...

See also Pruning fruit trees Pruning is a technique that is employed by gardeners in order to control growth, remove dead or diseased wood or stimulate the formation of flowers and fruit buds. ...