Portal:Trees

The Trees Portal

In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are usable as lumber or plants above a specified height. In wider definitions, the taller palms, tree ferns, bananas, and bamboos are also trees.

Trees are not a monophyletic taxonomic group but consist of a wide variety of plant species that have independently evolved a trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for sunlight. The majority of tree species are angiosperms or hardwoods; of the rest, many are gymnosperms or softwoods. Trees tend to be long-lived, some trees reaching several thousand years old. Trees evolved around 370 million years ago, and it is estimated that there are around three trillion mature trees in the world currently.

A tree typically has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground by the trunk, which typically contains woody tissue for strength, and vascular tissue to carry materials from one part of the tree to another. For most trees the trunk is surrounded by a layer of bark which serves as a protective barrier. Below the ground, the roots branch and spread out widely; they serve to anchor the tree and extract moisture and nutrients from the soil. Above ground, the branches divide into smaller branches and shoots. The shoots typically bear leaves, which capture light energy and convert it into sugars by photosynthesis, providing the food for the tree's growth and development.

Trees usually reproduce using seeds. Flowering plants have their seeds inside fruits, while conifers carry their seeds in cones, and tree ferns produce spores instead.

Trees play a significant role in reducing erosion and moderating the climate. They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store large quantities of carbon in their tissues. Trees and forests provide a habitat for many species of animals and plants. Tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse habitats in the world. Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses. In much of the world, forests are shrinking as trees are cleared to increase the amount of land available for agriculture. Because of their longevity and usefulness, trees have always been revered, with sacred groves in various cultures, and they play a role in many of the world's mythologies. (Full article...)

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Tree habit, Jandakot Botanical Gardens

Banksia menziesii, commonly known as firewood banksia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is a gnarled tree up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, or a lower spreading 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) shrub in the more northern parts of its range. The serrated leaves are dull green with new growth a paler grey green. The prominent autumn and winter inflorescences are often two-coloured red or pink and yellow, and their colour has given rise to more unusual common names such as port wine banksia and strawberry banksia. Yellow blooms are rarely seen.

First described by the botanist Robert Brown in the early 19th century, no separate varieties of Banksia menziesii are recognised. It is found in Western Australia, from the Perth (32° S) region north to the Murchison River (27° S), and generally grows on sandy soils, in scrubland or low woodland. Banksia menziesii provides food for a wide array of invertebrate and vertebrate animals; birds and in particular honeyeaters are prominent visitors. A relatively hardy plant, Banksia menziesii is commonly seen in gardens, nature strips and parks in Australian urban areas with Mediterranean climates, but its sensitivity to dieback from the soil-borne water mould Phytophthora cinnamomi makes it short-lived in places with humid summers, such as Sydney. Banksia menziesii is widely used in the cut flower industry both in Australia and overseas. (Full article...)

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... that the Easter egg tree (pictured) in Saalfeld, Thuringia, was decorated with 10,000 Easter eggs in 2012?
... that the most popular species for Christmas trees in Denmark and most of Europe is the Nordmann fir?
... that seed of the African teak tree is largely dispersed by fruit bats?
... that Trichia decipiens live on deadwood of conifers and leaf trees all year around?
... that Aecidium mori causes mulberry rust disease on the mulberry flowering plant, which decreases the quantity of leaves on the trees?
... that the satinleaf tree is endangered in its native Florida, but an invasive weed in Hawaii?
... that the Brown Treecreeper spirals up and down tree trunks while foraging?

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Image of the approximate land mass of Pando shaded green

Pando (from Latin pando 'I spread') is the world's largest tree, a quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) located in Sevier County, Utah, United States, in the Fishlake National Forest. A male clonal organism, Pando has an estimated 47,000 stems (ramets) that appear to be individual trees but are not, because those stems are connected by a root system that spans 42.8 ha (106 acres). Pando is the largest tree by weight and landmass and the largest known aspen clone. Pando was identified as a single living organism because each of its stems possesses identical genetic markers. The massive interconnected root system coordinates energy production, defense and regeneration across the tree's landmass. Pando spans 1.08 km × 0.72 km (0.67 mi × 0.45 mi) at its widest expanse along of the southwestern edge of the Fishlake Basin and lies 0.69 km (0.43 mi) to the west of Fish Lake, the largest natural mountain freshwater lake in Utah. Pando's landmass spreads from 2,700 m (8,900 ft) above sea level to approximately 2,773 m (9,098 ft) above sea level along the western side of a steep basin wall. Pando is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000 tonnes (6,000,000 kg), or 13.2 million pounds, making it the heaviest known organism. The Pando Tree's 43-hectare (106-acre) expanse also makes Pando the largest tree of any kind, by way of landmass.

Systems of classification used to define large trees vary considerably, leading to some confusion about Pando's status. Within the United States, the Official Register of Champion Trees defines the largest trees in a species-specific way; in this case, Pando is the largest aspen tree (Populus tremuloides). In forestry, the largest trees are measured by the greatest volume of a single stem, regardless of species. In that case, the General Sherman Tree is the largest unitary (single-stem) tree. While many emphasize that Pando is the largest clonal organism, other large trees, including Redwoods can also reproduce via cloning. Pando being the heaviest tree and the largest tree by landmass, while also being the largest aspen clone leaves the Pando Tree in a class of its own. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various tree-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 2Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 3Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 4World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 5Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 6Redwood tree in northern California redwood forest, where many redwood trees are managed for preservation and longevity, rather than being harvested for wood production (from Forest)
Image 7Priest River winding through Whitetail Butte with lots of forestry to the east—these lot patterns have existed since the mid-19th century. The white patches reflect areas with younger, smaller trees, where winter snow cover shows up brightly to the astronauts. Dark green-brown squares are parcels (from Forest)
Image 8Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 9Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 10Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 11Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 12Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 13Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 14Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 15Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 16Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 17Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 18The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 19Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 20Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 21Since the 13th century, the Niepołomice Forest in Poland has had special use and protection. In this view from space, different coloration can indicate different functions. (from Forest)
Image 22Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 23Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 24A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 25Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 26Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 27Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 28The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 29Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 30Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 31Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 32Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 33Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 34European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 35Even, dense old-growth stand of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) prepared to be regenerated by their saplings in the understory, in the Brussels part of the Sonian Forest. (from Forest)
Image 36Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 37Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 38Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 39Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 40A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 41Diagram of secondary growth in a eudicot or coniferous tree showing idealised vertical and horizontal sections. A new layer of wood is added in each growing season, thickening the stem, existing branches and roots. (from Tree)
Image 42The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 43Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 44A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 45Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 46Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 47Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 48Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 49Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 50An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 51Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 52Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 53People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 54Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 55Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 564000 years old Cypress of Abarqu is the oldest tree in Iran and the second oldest tree in the world. (from List of trees of Iran)