climbing plant; liana
Botanical term for woody climbing plants, especially those that twine around trees. The gloss 'climbing trees' is a literal translation of the kanji but the word refers to the plant itself.
In tropical rainforests, lianas twine around tall trees.
木本 refers broadly to any woody plant such as trees and shrubs, whereas 藤本 narrows this to woody plants that climb, like lianas.
Compound of 藤 (wisteria, a climbing plant) and 本 (origin, root), referring to a plant that climbs like wisteria. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.