Barklike

Barklike is an English adjective meaning resembling or having the appearance of tree bark. It is used to describe textures, colors, or patterns that mimic the rough, fissured surface of bark, as well as materials or surfaces that purposefully imitate that appearance. The word is formed from bark, the outer protective covering of a tree, with the suffix -like signaling resemblance.

In botany and horticulture, barklike textures are commonly noted on tree trunks or branches with rough, scaly, or deeply furrowed bark. Artists and designers may apply barklike textures to wood, plaster, or synthetic surfaces to evoke a natural, woodland aesthetic. In geology and paleontology, barklike patterns may describe fossil impressions, weathering surfaces, or sculpture on rocks that resemble the rings, plates, or fissures found in tree bark.

In writing and communication, barklike is used descriptively rather than as a technical term. It conveys analogy rather than identity: something is not actually bark but has a morphology that calls to mind bark. See also bark; texture; camouflage.