Portal:Trees

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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 reaching several thousand years old. Trees have been in existence for 370 million years. It is estimated that there are around three trillion mature trees in the world.

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 it 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. Flowers and fruit may be present, but some trees, such as conifers, instead have pollen cones and seed cones. Palms, bananas, and bamboos also produce seeds, but 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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Ficus obliqua, Milton, New South Wales

Ficus obliqua, commonly known as the small-leaved fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae, native to eastern Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia to Sulawesi and islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Previously known for many years as Ficus eugenioides, it is a banyan of the genus Ficus, which contains around 750 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig (Ficus carica). Beginning life as a seedling, which grows on other plants (epiphyte) or on rocks (lithophyte), F. obliqua can grow to 60 m (200 ft) high and nearly as wide with a pale grey buttressed trunk, and glossy green leaves.

The small round yellow fruit ripen and turn red at any time of year, although ripening peaks in autumn and winter (April to July). Known as a syconium, the fruit is an inverted inflorescence with the flowers lining an internal cavity. Ficus obliqua is pollinated by two species of fig wasp—Pleistodontes greenwoodi and P. xanthocephalus. Many species of bird, including pigeons, parrots and various passerines, eat the fruit. The range is along the east coast from Queensland, through New South Wales in rainforest, savanna woodland, sclerophyll forest and gallery forest. It is used as a shade tree in parks and public spaces, and is well-suited for use as an indoor plant or in bonsai. All parts of the tree have been used in traditional medicine in Fiji. (Full article...)

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... that President Bill Clinton said he would personally pay the bill to keep the National Christmas Tree (pictured) lit during the government shutdown resulting from disagreements on the 1996 federal budget?
... that global precedence is the tendency to see the forest, and not the trees?
... that the mistletoe species Amyema congener of eastern Australia can grow on non-native peach, plum and pear trees?
... that foliage from the Australian rainforest tree Grevillea baileyana was used in the floral arrangements handed to medal winners at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney?
... that most of the habitat of the vulnerable tree Eucalyptus benthamii has disappeared under Warragamba Dam or been cleared?
... that the inspiration for the Paustian House in Copenhagen came to architect Jørn Utzon while he was walking through a forest of beech trees?
... that Washington was the second largest tree of its kind until its collapse in 2005?

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Adansonia digitata in Tanzania

Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs (/ˈbaʊbæb/ or /ˈbeɪoʊbæb/) or adansonias. They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia. The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia. A genomic and ecological analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin.

The generic name honours Michel Adanson, the French naturalist and explorer who described Adansonia digitata. The baobab is also known as the "upside down tree", a name that originates from several myths. They are among the most long-lived of vascular plants and have large flowers that are reproductive for a maximum of 15 hours. The flowers open around dusk, opening so quickly that movement can be detected by the naked eye, and are faded by the next morning. The fruits are large, oval to round and berry-like and hold kidney-shaped seeds in a dry, pulpy matrix. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 2Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 3Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 4European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 5Diagram 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 6Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 7Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 8Even, 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 9The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 10Alleé of London plane trees (Platanus × acerifolia) in garden (from Tree)
Image 11Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 12People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 13Redwood 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 14The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 15Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 164000 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)
Image 17Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 18Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 19Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 20Share of land that is covered by forest (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 22Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 23Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 24Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 25Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 26Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir (Abies alba) (from Tree)
Image 27Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 28Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 29Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 30A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 31Priest 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 32Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 33Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 34Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 35Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 36Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 37A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 38Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 39Dormant Magnolia bud (from Tree)
Image 40Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 41Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of oak (Quercus robur) (from Tree)
Image 42Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 43A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 44Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 45Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 46Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 47The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 48Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 49Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 50Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 51Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 52Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago (Cycas circinalis) (from Tree)
Image 53World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 54Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)