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A branch is a part of a woody plant such as a tree, shrub, or vine. It is any woody structural member that is not the central trunk or trunks and which supports the terminal twigs, which in turn support the leaves. Branches may be oriented in any direction from horizontally to vertically, but usually have bark similar to the upper trunk (whereas twigs often have markedly different bark).
The term branch is also used in computer software development and as a figurative term; see branch (disambiguation).