A tree diagram displays hierarchical data as a branching structure with a root node at the top and child nodes spreading outward. Lines connect parents to children, clearly showing relationships, levels, and the overall structure of the hierarchy.
The Solar System Family Tree — From Sun to Smallest Moon
Best for
- Showing organizational structures and reporting lines
- Displaying taxonomies, file systems, or decision trees
- Visualizing parent-child relationships in nested data
Avoid when
- The hierarchy is very deep (>6 levels) — becomes hard to read
- Nodes have multiple parents — use a network graph instead
- You want to show proportional values — use a treemap or sunburst