Palisade

A palisade is a fence or wall made from vertical stakes or pales driven into the ground, typically sharpened on top, and arranged to form a continuous barrier. Palisades are used for defense, enclosure, and boundary marking around camps, towns, gardens, or other properties.

Historically, palisades were common in ancient and medieval fortifications. Wooden stakes could be planted to create a defensive screen before earthworks or masonry, and they were rapidly erected for temporary defenses, camps, or stockades. In colonial North America, settlers used palisaded enclosures to protect new settlements and to delineate property lines.

Construction and variations: Palisade posts are typically tapered and driven upright into the ground; sometimes they are sharpened. They may stand alone or be joined by horizontal rails, with earthworks or ditches providing extra defense. Maintenance includes replacing rotted stakes and clearing vegetation.

Palisade vs stockade: A palisade consists of individual vertical stakes, often spaced apart, while a stockade uses closely fitted walls of timber or fencing that form a solid barrier.

In botany, palisade refers to the palisade mesophyll, a layer of tall, columnar cells beneath the upper leaf epidermis, rich in chloroplasts and specialized for photosynthesis.

The term derives from Old French palissade, from Italian palizzata, from Latin palus meaning "stake."