stammbaum

Stammbaum is a German term for a diagram that expresses ancestry and relationships. The word combines Stamm (trunk or lineage) and Baum (tree). In common usage it denotes both genealogical family trees and phylogenetic trees used in biology to illustrate the evolutionary relationships among organisms.

In genealogy, a Stammbaum represents individuals as nodes and parent–child connections as edges. Generations are typically arranged in horizontal layers or vertical levels. The diagram may also show spouses, marriages, births, and other biographical details. Stammbaum charts are used to trace family history, identify kinship, and organize hereditary information for medical or legal purposes.

In biology the term is often used for phylogenetic trees, which depict evolutionary relationships among species or genes. Leaves represent living taxa or sequences, while internal nodes represent inferred common ancestors. Trees can be constructed from morphological data, genetic sequences, or both, and may reflect time or simply branching order. Phylogenetic trees are central to taxonomy and studies of evolution, speciation, and comparative biology.

Stammbaum charts are subject to uncertainty and incomplete data. Different methods, data types, or assumptions can yield different trees, and features such as horizontal gene transfer or convergent evolution can complicate interpretation. In practice, Stammbaum diagrams are widely used in family research, breeding programs, anthropology, and education to summarize complex relationships in a compact, visual form.