Stemflow funnels canopy rain down trunks into root zones
Not all rain that hits a forest falls straight to the litter. Leaves and branches intercept drops; some evaporates, some drips as throughfall, and some runs as stemflow tight against the bark to the base.
Stemflow concentrates water and dissolved nutrients into a narrow ring around the trunk — a bonus drink for roots that hug the bole. Bark texture and branch angle decide how much arrives.
A canopy is plumbing as well as shade. Stemflow turns a diffuse shower into a directed irrigation line written on every wet trunk.
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