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 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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Acacia pycnantha, most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae. It grows to a height of 8 metres (26 feet) and has phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. The species is native to southeastern Australia as an understorey plant in eucalyptus forest. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of honeyeater and thornbill, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them.

A. pycnantha has become a weed in areas of Australia, as well as in Africa and Eurasia. Its bark produces more tannin than any other wattle species, resulting in its commercial cultivation for production of this compound. It has been widely grown as an ornamental garden plant and for cut flower production. A. pycnantha was made the official floral emblem of Australia in 1988, and has been featured on the country's postal stamps. (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 Living Willow Theatre, an open air theatre constructed of living willow trees, is located near the village of Llanwrthwl and occasionally holds outdoor performances of Shakespeare?
... that Wollemi Stringybark, a tree that grows to 45 metres (148 ft) high northwest of Sydney, remains officially undescribed?
... that Linton Park in Kent, England, has an avenue of Giant Sequoia trees planted in 1864?
... that the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve contains a "stone tree"?
... that the scarlet honey myrtle, an ornamental garden shrub, is from the same genus as the punk tree?
... that the towers of architect Terunobu Fujimori's Lamune Onsen have pine trees planted on the apex of their roofs?

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Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple) foliage

Acer (/ˈeɪsər/ AY-sər) is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, along with lychee and horse chestnut. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Only one species, Acer laurinum, extends to the Southern Hemisphere. The type species of the genus is the sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, the most common maple species in Europe. Maples usually have easily recognizable palmate leaves (Acer negundo is an exception) and distinctive winged fruits. The closest relatives of the maples are the horse chestnuts. Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species. It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia. Many maple species are grown in gardens where they are valued for their autumn colour. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 2Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 3Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 4Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 5Priest 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 6Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 7Since 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 8European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 9Even, 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 10Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 11Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 12Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 13Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 14Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 15A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 16World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 17Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 18A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 19Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 20Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 21Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 22Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 23Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 24The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 25A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 26Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 27Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 28Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 29Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 30Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 31Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 32Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 33Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 34Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 35Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 36Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 37An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 38Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 39Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 40Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 41The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 42Diagram 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 43People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 44Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 45Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 46Redwood 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 47The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 48Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 49Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 50Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 51Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 524000 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 53Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 54Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 55Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 56Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)