Puumaisuus

Puumaisuus is a Finnish botanical term describing the woody character or woodiness of a plant, or of parts such as stems and branches. The word combines puu ("wood, tree") with maisuus ("quality, nature"). In botanical and horticultural usage, puumaisuus refers to the degree to which a plant tissue is lignified and capable of secondary growth, producing wood-like stems rather than herbaceous, non-woody tissue.

The concept is commonly applied when characterizing life forms, growth habits, or developmental stages of perennials, shrubs, and trees, as well as some herbaceous species that form woody bases. In practice, puumaisuus is a qualitative descriptor rather than a strictly defined metric in many Finnish texts.

It may be discussed in relation to growth form, such as in contrasting herbaceous perennials with low puumaisuus against woody perennials with high puumaisuus. Some authors may use proxies like stem hardness, bark presence, or secondary xylem development to illustrate the concept. It is primarily a Finnish-language term, and its exact usage can vary between sources.

Puumaisuus should not be confused with general vigor or size; it specifically denotes the wood-containing character of the plant's architecture.