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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At Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini

Banksia serrata, commonly known as the saw banksia, the old man banksia, the saw-tooth banksia or the red honeysuckle and as wiriyagan by the Cadigal people, is a species of woody shrub or tree of the genus Banksia, in the family Proteaceae. Native to the east coast of Australia, it is found from Queensland to Victoria with outlying populations on Tasmania and Flinders Island. Commonly growing as a gnarled tree up to 16 m (50 ft) in height, it can be much smaller in more exposed areas. This Banksia species has wrinkled grey bark, shiny dark green serrated leaves and large yellow or greyish-yellow flower spikes appearing over summer. The flower spikes, or inflorescences, turn grey as they age and pollinated flowers develop into large, grey, woody seed pods called follicles.

B. serrata is one of the four original Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, and one of four species published in 1782 as part of Carolus Linnaeus the Younger's original description of the genus. There are no recognised varieties, although it is closely related to Banksia aemula. Throughout its range, it grows exclusively in sandy soil, and is usually the dominant plant in scrubland or low woodland. B. serrata is pollinated by and provides food for a wide array of vertebrate and invertebrate animals in the autumn and winter months, and is an important source of food for honeyeaters. It is a common plant of parks and gardens. (Full article...)

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... that Gregory's tree (pictured), near Timber Creek in Australia's Northern Territory, bears inscriptions by 19th-century explorers and is registered as both a heritage place and an Aboriginal sacred site?
... that the Balderschwang Yew is possibly the oldest tree in Germany?
... that black truffles suppress plant growth around their host tree, creating an area that looks burned?
... that root extracts from the tree species Pycnanthus angolensis can be used to treat parasitic infections, such as schistosomiasis?
... that the lime trees of Duncliffe Wood are reputedly among the oldest living things in the county of Dorset?
... that trees of the New Guinea genus Finschia have stilt roots coming off the trunk up to 1.8 m (6 ft) off the ground?
... that in the early 1980s, a team of surveyors discovered the World War II-era Avro Anson Memorial near Clackline, Western Australia, which had been overgrown by shrubs and trees?

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The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furniture) and secondary products like wood pulp for the pulp and paper industry. Some of the largest producers are also among the biggest owners of forest. The wood industry has historically been and continues to be an important sector in many economies. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 2Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 3Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 4A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 5European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 6An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 7Redwood 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 8The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 9Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 10Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 11Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 12Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 13World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 14Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 15The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 16Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 17People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 18Diagram 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 19Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 20Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 21Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 22Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 23The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 24A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 25Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 26Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 27Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 28Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 29Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 30Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 31Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 32Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 33Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 34Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 35Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 36Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 37Priest 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 38Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 39Since 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 40Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 41Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 42Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 43Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 44Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 45Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 46Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 47Even, 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 48Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 49Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 50Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 51Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 52Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 534000 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 54Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 55Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 56Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)