Dendrology (,
dendron, "tree"; and ,
-logia,
science of or
study of) or
xylology (,
ksulon, "wood") is the science and study of
wooded plants (
trees,
shrubs, and
lianas), specifically, their taxonomic classifications. There is no sharp boundary between
plant taxonomy and dendrology; however, woody plants not only belong to many different plant
families, but these families may be made up of both woody and non-woody members. Some families include only a few woody species. Dendrology, as a discipline of industrial forestry, tends to focus on identification of economically useful woody plants and their taxonomic interrelationships. As an academic course of study, Dendrology will include all woody plants, native and non-native, that occur in a region. A related discipline is the study of Sylvics, which focuses on the autecology of genera and species.