The tree diagram, in particular, has its roots in the Middle Ages. “In Medieval Europe, 800 years ago, visual communication was critical,” Lima says, drawing from his book, ...

900 Years of Tree Diagrams, ... however, shows that data viz's roots go much deeper--some 900 years, at the very least. And calling them "roots" is very much appropriate.

And, unfortunately, this misconception about tree root architecture has resulted in the premature death of enumerable trees in both home yards and city boulevards. Advertisement 2.