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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Banksia aquilonia, commonly known as the northern banksia and jingana, is a tree in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to north Queensland on Australia's northeastern coastline. With an average height of 8 m (26 ft), it has narrow glossy green leaves up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) high pale yellow flower spikes, known as inflorescences, appearing in autumn. As the spikes age, their flowers fall off and they develop up to 50 follicles, each of which contains two seeds.

Alex George described the plant in his 1981 monograph of the genus Banksia as a variety of B. integrifolia, but later reclassified it as a separate species. Genetic studies show it to be related to B. plagiocarpa, B. oblongifolia and B. robur. The species is found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest margins on sandy soils. Banksia aquilonia regenerates after bushfire by regrowing from epicormic buds under its bark. It is rarely cultivated. (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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The stone pine, botanical name Pinus pinea, also known as the Italian stone pine, Mediterranean stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine, is a tree from the pine family (Pinaceae). The tree is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe and the Levant. The species was introduced into North Africa millennia ago, and is also naturalized in the Canary Islands, South Africa and New South Wales.

Stone pines have been used and cultivated for their edible pine nuts since prehistoric times. They are widespread in horticultural cultivation as ornamental trees, planted in gardens and parks around the world. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 2Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 3A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 4Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 5Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 6Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 7Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 8Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 9Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 10Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 11Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 12Redwood 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 13Dormant Magnolia bud (from Tree)
Image 14Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 15Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 16Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 17Alleé of London plane trees (Platanus × acerifolia) in garden (from Tree)
Image 18Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 19Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 20Since 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 21Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 22Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 23Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 24The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 25European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 26Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 27Priest 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 28Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of oak (Quercus robur) (from Tree)
Image 29Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 30World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 31People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 32Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 334000 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 34Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 35Diagram 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 36Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 37Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 38Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago (Cycas circinalis) (from Tree)
Image 39Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 40The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 41Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 42Even, 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 43Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir (Abies alba) (from Tree)
Image 44Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 45Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 46Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 47A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 48A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 49Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 50Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 51Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 52Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 53Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 54Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)