(a,b) Comparison of the microscopic aspects of a thin (4–6 μm) histological section of a human placenta after staining with hematoxylin/eosin (a) with the microscopic aspects of a whole-mount isolated villous tree after staining with hematoxylin (b). The scale bars in a and b are 250 μm. (a) Various cross- and longitudinal sections of villi can be recognized. The stromal architecture inside the sectioned villi is visible. The cross-sections of branches belong to an unknown number of villous trees. (b) A single villous tree is visible, and branches are not sectioned. The hierarchical positions of nodes (branching points) and the branching topology can be recognized.