This term is normally used to refer to the pine that is in the process of growth and in this sense a bud is a place populated by buds. On the other hand, it can also be used to refer to a flower when it is still a bud and is not open. When a tree has not yet reached its normal height, it is a sapling.
In a symbolic way, the notion of sapling is used to name children or young people of a developing age who stand out for their sympathy and beauty. The primary school teacher, in this sense, may refer to her students as her buds. The same can be said by a mother about her children or the coach of a children's team about her little players.
If we look at the correct meaning of botany, a sapling is a young tree, a tender branch or a flower before it opens. Therefore, it is a word that refers to the moment before the total development of a plant. Therefore, its strictly descriptive sense of a natural process has been extrapolated to human beings who have not matured and are still green, such as children and young people.
The mechanism of similarity between plants and children in relation to the sapling reminds us of other similar circumstances. In a positive sense, when a person is in very good health, it is said that "he is healthier than an oak tree ", if he is someone very affectionate, it can be said that "he is a heaven " and if he is a very good person it will be said that "is a sun".
In the opposite sense, references to nature also have negative connotations: “being a vulture” is taking advantage of others, “being a worm” is humiliating oneself and “a bad apple” is a person who negatively influences others.
Pimpollo, finally, is a term that appears in the name of some neighborhoods (such as the city of Mercedes, in the Argentine province of San Luis) and in the title of several songs (including a theme from the Argentine Moon).
In the vocabulary of botany, there are other similar terms, such as rampollo (branch cut from a tree that is grafted onto another plant) or serpollo (new branch that grows on a tree).
