Branch
![Tree branches of several sizes.](/Images/godic/202502/14/White_Branches5757.jpg")
![The branches and leaves of a tree.](/Images/godic/202502/14/Tree_Leaves5757.JPG")
![Looking up into the branch structure of a Pinus sylvestris tree](/Images/godic/202502/14/Strom_roka_borovica_velke_borove_035757.jpg")
A branch (UK /ˈbrɑːntʃ/ or UK /ˈbræntʃ/, US /ˈbræntʃ/) or tree branch (sometimes referred to in botany as a ramus) is a woody structural member connected to but not part of the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs.