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Encyclopedia > Tree

Updated 308 days 14 hours 44 minutes ago.
The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth.
The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth.

A tree is a large perennial woody plant, larger than a shrub. Though there is no set definition regarding minimum size, the term generally applies to plants that grow to at least 5-6 meters (15-20 ft) high at maturity[citation needed] and having secondary branches supported on a main stem or stems, called a trunk. Most trees exhibit clear apical dominance, though this is not always the case.[1] Compared with most other plants, trees are long-lived, some of them getting to be several thousand years old and growing to up to 115 meters (375 ft) high. Download high resolution version (399x603, 71 KB)Italic textA Coast Redwood File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (399x603, 71 KB)Italic textA Coast Redwood File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... Pinus taeda cross section showing annual growth rings (Cheraw, South Carolina) In botany, trunk refers to the main structural member of a tree that is supported by and directly attached to the roots and which in turn supports the branches. ... Many conifers show particularly strong apical dominance, strongest of all in the family Araucariaceae, showing a single erect central trunk with strongly differentiated horizontal branching. ...


Trees are an important component of the natural landscape due to their prevention of erosion and the provision of a specific weather-sheltered ecosystem in and under their foliage. Trees, through the process of photosynthesis, play an important role in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; they also moderate ground temperatures through their shading effect. They are also significant elements in landscaping and agriculture, both for their aesthetic appeal and their orchard crops (such as apples). Wood from trees is a common building material. Trees also play an intimate role in many of the world's mythologies (see trees in mythology). Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of ocean currents, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms, and is in a gaseous state in the atmosphere of the Earth. ... Central Park, like all parks, is an example of landscape architecture. ... The Parthenons facade showing an interpretation of golden rectangles in its proportions. ... A community apple orchard originally planted for productive use during the 1920s, in Westcliff on Sea (Essex, England) An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs maintained for food production. ... Binomial name Borkh. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... // Building material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. ... The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythología, from μυολογείν mythologein to relate myths, from μύος mythos, meaning a narrative, and λόγος logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and... Trees have played an important role in many of the worlds mythologies and religions. ...

Contents

[edit] Classification

An oak tree in Denmark
An oak tree in Denmark
A Sweet Chestnut tree in Ticino, Switzerland
A Sweet Chestnut tree in Ticino, Switzerland

A tree is a plant form that occurs in many different orders and families of plants. Trees show a wide variety of growth forms, leaf type and shape, bark characteristics, and reproductive organs. Oak from Danish wiki da:Billede:Raunkiaer. ... Oak from Danish wiki da:Billede:Raunkiaer. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2008 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2008 pixel, file size: 3. ... Binomial name Castanea sativa Mill. ... This article is about the Swiss canton Ticino. ... In scientific classification used in biology, the order (Latin: ordo, plural ordines) is a rank between class and family (termed a taxon at that rank). ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ...


The earliest trees were tree ferns and horsetails, which grew in vast forests in the Carboniferous Period; tree ferns still survive, but the only surviving horsetails are not of tree form. Later, in the Triassic Period, conifers, ginkgos, cycads and other gymnosperms appeared, and subsequently flowering plants in the Cretaceous Period. Most species of trees today are flowering plants (Angiosperms) and conifers. The listing below gives examples of many well-known trees and how they are typically classified. Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... Species The horsetails are vascular plants, comprising 15 species of plants in the genus Equisetum. ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... The Carboniferous is a major division of the geologic timescale that extends from the end of the Devonian period, about 359. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 ± 0. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the... Binomial name Ginkgo biloba L. The Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), frequently misspelled as Gingko, and sometimes known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a unique tree with no close living relatives. ... Families Cycadaceae cycas family Stangeriaceae stangeria family Zamiaceae zamia family Leaves and male cone of Cycas revoluta Cycads are an ancient group of seed plants characterized by a large crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. ... Divisions Pinophyta - Conifers Ginkgophyta - Ginkgo Cycadophyta - Cycads Gnetophyta - Gnetum, Ephedra, Welwitschia Gymnosperms (Gymnospermae) are a group of Spermatophyte seed-bearing plants with ovules on the edge or blade of an open sporophyll, the sporophylls usually arranged in cone-like structures. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are the dominant and most familiar group of land plants. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ...


A small group of trees growing together is called a grove or copse, and a landscape covered by a dense growth of trees is called a forest. Several biotopes are defined largely by the trees that inhabit them; examples are rainforest and taiga (see ecozones). A landscape of trees scattered or spaced across grassland (usually grazed or burned over periodically) is called a savanna. See Grove for other meanings (disambiguation) of the word grove. A grove is a small group of trees such as a sequoia grove. ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... Biotope is a coined word proposed firstly in Germany (Biotop) based on Greek bios=life or organism and topos=place. So biotope is literally an area where life is living. ... The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earths surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals. ... Savanna at Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. ...


[edit] Morphology

Leaves are an important feature of trees. These are Beech leaves.
Leaves are an important feature of trees. These are Beech leaves.
Tree roots anchor the structure and provide water and nutrients. The ground has eroded away around the roots of this young Pine tree.
Tree roots anchor the structure and provide water and nutrients. The ground has eroded away around the roots of this young Pine tree.

The basic parts of a tree are the roots, trunk(s), branches, twigs and leaves. Tree stems consist mainly of support and transport tissues (xylem and phloem). Wood consists of xylem cells, and bark is made of phloem and other tissues external to the vascular cambium. Trees may be broadly grouped into exogenous and endogenous trees according to the way in which their stem diameter increases. Exogenous trees, which comprise the great majority of modern trees (all conifers, and all broadleaf trees), grow by the addition of new wood outwards, immediately under the bark. Endogenous trees, mainly in the monocotyledons (e.g., palms), grow by addition of new material inwards. Image File history File links Leavessnipedale. ... Image File history File links Leavessnipedale. ... Species Fagus crenata - Japanese Beech Fagus engleriana - Chinese Beech Fagus grandifolia - American Beech Fagus hayatae - Taiwan Beech Fagus japonica - Japanese Blue Beech Fagus longipetiolata - South Chinese Beech Fagus lucida - Shining Beech Fagus mexicana - Mexican Beech or Haya Fagus orientalis - Oriental Beech Fagus sylvatica - European Beech Beech (Fagus) is a genus... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1577 KB) Licensing Description: A scenic photo taken near Madison. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1577 KB) Licensing Description: A scenic photo taken near Madison. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) by the agents of ocean currents, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement... Subgenera Subgenus Strobus Subgenus Ducampopinus Subgenus Pinus See Pinus classification for complete taxonomy to species level. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... Pinus taeda cross section showing annual growth rings (Cheraw, South Carolina) In botany, trunk refers to the main structural member of a tree that is supported by and directly attached to the roots and which in turn supports the branches. ... A twig is a small terminal branch section that bears leaves, buds and usually the flowers and fruit of plants. ... “Foliage” redirects here. ... In vascular plants, xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue in plants, phloem being the other one. ... In vascular plants, phloem is the living tissue that carries organic nutrients, particularly sucrose, a sugar, to all parts of the plant where needed. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... For other meanings of bark, see Bark (disambiguation). ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the... Orders See text. ... Hemerocallis flower, with three flower parts in each whorl Wheat, an economically important monocot The monocotyledons or Monocots are a group of flowering plants, (angiosperms) dominating great parts of the earth. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ...


As an exogenous tree grows, it creates growth rings. Also known as annual rings, each set of light/dark rings is equivalent to one year of growth. In temperate climates, these are commonly visible due to changes in the rate of growth with temperature variation over an annual cycle. These rings can be counted to determine the age of the tree, and used to date cores or even wood taken from trees in the past; this practice is known as the science of dendrochronology. In some tropical regions with constant year-round climate, growth is continuous and distinct rings are not formed, so age determination is impossible. Age determination is also impossible in endogenous trees. The growth rings of an unknown tree species, at Bristol Zoo, England. ... The growth rings of an unknown tree species, at Bristol Zoo, England Pinus taeda Cross section showing annual rings, Cheraw, South Carolina Pine stump showing growth rings Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns. ...


The roots of a tree are generally embedded in earth, providing anchorage for the above-ground biomass and absorbing water and nutrients from the soil. It should be noted, however, that while ground nutrients are essential to a tree's growth the majority of its biomass comes from carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere (see photosynthesis). Above ground, the trunk gives height to the leaf-bearing branches, aiding in competition with other plant species for sunlight. In many trees, the arrangement of the branches optimizes exposure of the leaves to sunlight. Switchgrass, a hardy plant used in the biofuel industry in the United States Rice chaff. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ... Loess field in Germany Surface-water-gley developed in glacial till, Northern Ireland Technically, soil forms the pedosphere: the interface between the lithosphere (rocky part of the planet) and the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere. ... The leaf is the primary site of photosynthesis in plants. ... Prism splitting light High Resolution Solar Spectrum Sunlight in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. ...


Not all trees have all the plant organs or parts mentioned above. For example, most palm trees are not branched, the saguaro cactus of North America has no functional leaves, tree ferns do not produce bark, etc. Based on their general shape and size, all of these are nonetheless generally regarded as trees. Indeed, sometimes size is the more important consideration. A plant form that is similar to a tree, but generally having smaller, multiple trunks and/or branches that arise near the ground, is called a shrub. However, no sharp differentiation between shrubs and trees is possible. Given their small size, bonsai plants would not technically be 'trees', but one should not confuse reference to the form of a species with the size or shape of individual specimens. A spruce seedling does not fit the definition of a tree, but all spruces are trees. Binomial name Carnegiea gigantea Britton & Rose Synonyms Cereus giganteus Engelm. ... Tree Fern refers to any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... A bonsai trident maple growing in the root over rock style. ...


[edit] Champion trees

The world's champion trees can be considered on several factors; height, trunk diameter or girth, total size, and age. It is significant that in each case, the top position is always held by a conifer, though a different species in each case; in most measures, the second to fourth places are also held by conifers. Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the...


[edit] Tallest trees

The heights of the tallest trees in the world have been the subject of considerable dispute and much (often wild) exaggeration. Modern verified measurement with laser rangefinders combined with tape drop measurements made by tree climbers, carried out by the U.S. Eastern Native Tree Society has shown that most older measuring methods and measurements are unreliable, often producing exaggerations of 5% to 15% above the real height. Historical claims of trees of 117 meters (384 ft), 130 meters (427 ft), and even 150 meters (492 ft), are now largely disregarded as unreliable, fantasy or outright fraud. The following are now accepted as the top five tallest reliably measured species: Experiment with a laser (US Military) In physics, a laser is a device that emits light through a specific mechanism for which the term laser is an acronym: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. ...

  1. Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 115.55 m (379.1 ft), Redwood National Park, California, United States [2]
  2. Coast Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii: 99.4 m (326.1 ft), Brummit Creek, Coos County, Oregon, United States [3]
  3. Australian Mountain-ash Eucalyptus regnans: 97.0 m (318.2 ft), Styx Valley, Tasmania, Australia [4]
  4. Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis: 96.7 m (317.3 ft), Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States [5]
  5. Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 94.9 m (311.4 ft), Redwood Mountain Grove, Kings Canyon National Park, California, United States [6]
A view of a tree from below; this may exaggerate apparent height
A view of a tree from below; this may exaggerate apparent height

More about the coast redwood that is the tallest tree in the world. Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Established in 1968 from unprotected land as well as small portions of existing state parks, Redwood National Park is a United States National Park on the northern coast of California between Eureka and Crescent City. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Binomial name Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb. ... Coos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Binomial name Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell. ... Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $16,114 (7th)  - Product per capita  $33,243/person (8th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  489,600 (6th)  - Density  7. ... Binomial name Picea sitchensis (Bong. ... Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. ... Binomial name (Lindl. ... This article is about Kings Canyon National Park, USA. For Kings Canyon, Australia, see Kings Canyon (Northern Territory). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2008 pixel, file size: 4 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A sweet chestnut forest in the swiss alps(Ticino) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 534 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2008 pixel, file size: 4 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg) A sweet chestnut forest in the swiss alps(Ticino) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this...


[edit] Stoutest trees

The girth (circumference) of a tree is much easier to measure than the height, as it is a simple matter of stretching a tape round the trunk, and pulling it taut to find the circumference. Despite this, UK tree author Alan Mitchell made the following comment about measurements of yew trees in the British Isles: The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. ... Alan Mitchell (4 November 1922 - 3 August 1995) was a British forester, dendrologist and botanist, and author of several books on trees. ... Binomial name Taxus baccata L. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. ... The British Isles in relation to mainland Europe The British Isles (French: , Irish: [1] or Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa,[2] Manx: Ellanyn Goaldagh, Scottish Gaelic: , Welsh: ), is a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. ...

"The aberrations of past measurements of yews are beyond belief. For example, the tree at Tisbury has a well-defined, clean, if irregular bole at least 1.5 m long. It has been found to have a girth which has dilated and shrunk in the following way: 11.28 m (1834 Loudon), 9.3 m (1892 Lowe), 10.67 m (1903 Elwes and Henry), 9.0 m (1924 E. Swanton), 9.45 m (1959 Mitchell) .... Earlier measurements have therefore been omitted".[citation needed]

As a general standard, tree girth is taken at 'breast height' (gbh); this is defined differently in different situations, with most foresters measuring girth at 1.3 meters (51 in) above ground, while ornamental tree measurers usually measure at 1.5 meters (59 in) above ground; in most cases this makes little difference to the measured girth. In the United States, measurements are mostly done at a height of 1.3 meters (51 in), while in the United Kingdom this is mostly done at 1.5 meters (59 in). On sloping ground, the "above ground" reference point is usually taken as the highest point on the ground touching the trunk, but some use the average between the highest and lowest points of ground. Some of the inflated old measurements may have been taken at ground level. Some past exaggerated measurements also result from measuring the complete next-to-bark measurement, pushing the tape in and out over every crevice and buttress. A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... An ornamental plant is a plant that is grown for its ornamental qualities, rather than for its commercial or other value. ...


Modern trends are to cite the tree's diameter rather than the circumference; this is obtained by dividing the measured circumference by π; it assumes the trunk is circular in cross-section (an oval or irregular cross-section would result in a mean diameter slightly greater than the assumed circle). This is cited as dbh (diameter at breast height) in tree literature. DIAMETER is an AAA protocol (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting) succeeding its predecessor RADIUS. // The name is a pun on the RADIUS protocol, which is the predecessor (a diameter is twice the radius). ... When a circles diameter is 1, its circumference is Ï€. The mathematical constant Ï€ is an irrational real number, approximately equal to 3. ... Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk of a tree. ...


A further problem with measuring baobabs Adansonia is that these trees store large amounts of water in the very soft wood in their trunks. This leads to marked variation in their girth over the year, swelling to a maximum at the end of the rainy season, minimum at the end of the dry season. Although baobabs have some of the highest girth measurements of any trees, no accurate measurements are currently available, but probably do not exceed 10-11 meter (33–36 ft) diameter. Species See text The baobab (Adansonia), or monkey bread tree are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and mainland Africa and Australia (one species in each). ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ...


An addition problem lies in cases where multiple trunks (whether from an individual tree or multiple trees) grow together. A good example of the difficulty of such cases is the Árbol del Tule, an 11.42 meter (37.5 ft) diameter Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum in Oaxaca, Mexico. Whether or not it is comprised of multiple trunks has long been a source of controversy. It is now known to be genetically a single organism (Dorado et al, 1996), but whether it is a single trunk or simply fused trunks/branches is not known[1][verification needed]. The Sacred Fig is another notorious example of this. A single tree can have hundreds of trunks, leading to diameter measurements of hundreds of meters[2]. Full width of trunk El Árbol del Tule (Spanish for the Tule Tree) is a very large tree located in the church grounds in the town center of Santa María del Tule in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, approximately 13 km (8 miles) from the city of Oaxaca on... Binomial name Taxodium mucronatum Tenore Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma Cypress or Ahuehuete (in the Nahuatl language), is a species of Taxodium native to much of Mexico (south to the highlands of southern Mexico), and also southernmost Texas, USA (just entering the state in the lower Rio Grande valley). ... Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... Binomial name Ficus religiosa L. The Sacred Fig Ficus religiosa, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), Pipal (Peepul) or Ashwattha tree, is a species of banyan fig native to India, southwest China and Indochina east to Vietnam. ...


The stoutest single-trunk species in diameter, excluding baobabs, are:

  1. Kauri Agatha australis: 16.41 metres (54 feet) Te Matua Ngahere, Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand
  2. Jequitibá Cariniana excelsa Casar.: 10.5 m (34.4 ft) (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/science/hartesveldt/chap2.htm)[verification needed]
  3. Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 8.85 m (29 ft), General Grant tree, Grant Grove, California, United States [7]
  4. Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 7.44 m (24.4 ft), Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States[citation needed]
  5. Kauri Agatha australis: 7.25 m (23.8 ft) , Mercury Bay, New Zealand [8]
  6. Eucalyptus obliqua: 6.72 m (22 ft) , Reynolds Falls Nature Reserve, Tasmania, Australia [9] (E. regnans has similarly large diameters)
  7. Western Redcedar: Thuja plicata, 5.94 m (19.5 ft), Lake Quinault, Washington (Van Pelt, 2001)

Charles Darwin reported finding Fitzroya cupressoides with trunk circumferences of up to 40 meters (130 ft)[3], implying a diameter of about 12 meters (40 ft), but this may be an anomaly as the largest known measurements are about 4.5 meters (15 ft).[4] Binomial name Agathis australis (D. Don) Loudon The Kauri (Agathis australis) is a coniferous tree native to the northern North Island of New Zealand. ... Girth of Te Matua Ngahere compared with a person for scale. ... Location of Waipoua Forest Waipoua Forest preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. ... Binomial name (Lindl. ... General Grant tree from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks The General Grant tree is the largest Giant Sequoia in the Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park. ... Grant Grove is a sequoia grove located in Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California, at 36°45N 118°58W. It includes General Grant tree, one of the five largest Giant Sequoias in existence. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Binomial name Agathis australis (D. Don) Loudon The Kauri (Agathis australis) is a coniferous tree native to the northern North Island of New Zealand. ... Binomial name Eucalyptus obliqua LHér. ... Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $16,114 (7th)  - Product per capita  $33,243/person (8th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  489,600 (6th)  - Density  7. ... Species Thuja plicata Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, a species of thuja, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern US and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ... Lake Quinault is a lake on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... Binomial name Fitzroya cupressoides (Molina) I.M.Johnst. ...


[edit] Largest trees

The largest trees in total volume are those which are both tall and of large diameter, and in particular, which hold a large diameter high up the trunk. Measurement is very complex, particularly if branch volume is to be included as well as the trunk volume, so measurements have only been made for a small number of trees, and generally only for the trunk. No attempt has ever been made to include root volume. The volume of a solid object is the three-dimensional concept of how much space it occupies, often quantified numerically. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ...


The top four species measured[10] so far are:

  1. Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 1,489 m³ (55,040 cu ft), General Sherman[10]
  2. Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens: 1,045 m³ (36,890 cu ft), Del Norte Titan tree [10]
  3. Western Redcedar Thuja plicata: 500 m³ (17,650 cu ft ), Quinault Lake Redcedar[10]
  4. Kauri Agathis australis: circa 400 m³ (15,000 cu ft), Tane Mahuta tree[10] (total volume, including branches, 516.7 m³/18,247 cu ft)[10]

However, the Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides, as yet un-measured, may well slot in at third or fourth place, and Montezuma Cypress Taxodium mucronatum and other giants are also likely to be high in the list. The largest angiosperm tree is a Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, known as the 'Two Towers' tree, with a volume of 430 cubic meters (15,185 cu ft)[11]. Binomial name (Lindl. ... General Sherman tree from Sequoia National Park General Sherman is the name of a Giant Sequoia. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... Binomial name Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don Thuja plicata (Western Redcedar) is a species of thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (620x775, 284 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Thuja plicata ... Binomial name Agathis australis (D.Don) Loudon Agathis australis, known as the kauri, is a coniferous tree native to the northern districts of the North Island of New Zealand and is the biggest but not tallest species of tree in the country. ... Tane Mahuta is a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland, New Zealand. ... Binomial name Fitzroya cupressoides (Molina) I.M.Johnst. ... Binomial name Taxodium mucronatum Tenore Taxodium mucronatum, also known as Montezuma Cypress or Ahuehuete (in the Nahuatl language), is a species of Taxodium native to much of Mexico (south to the highlands of southern Mexico), and also southernmost Texas, USA (just entering the state in the lower Rio Grande valley). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Binomial name Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell. ... Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $16,114 (7th)  - Product per capita  $33,243/person (8th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  489,600 (6th)  - Density  7. ...


[edit] Oldest trees

The oldest trees are determined by growth rings, which can be seen if the tree is cut down or in cores taken from the edge to the center of the tree. Accurate determination is only possible for trees which produce growth rings, generally those which occur in seasonal climates; trees in uniform non-seasonal tropical climates grow continuously and do not have distinct growth rings. It is also only possible for trees which are solid to the center of the tree; many very old trees become hollow as the dead heartwood decays away. For some of these species, age estimates have been made on the basis of extrapolating current growth rates, but the results are usually little better than guesswork or wild speculation. White (1998)[12] proposes a method of estimating the age of large and veteran trees in the United Kingdom through the correlation between a tree's stem diameter, growth character and age. This is a list of long-living organisms. ... The growth rings of an unknown tree species, at Bristol Zoo, England Pinus taeda Cross section showing annual rings, Cheraw, South Carolina Pine stump showing growth rings Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ...


The verified oldest measured ages are (Gymnosperm Database):

  1. Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Pinus longaeva: 4844 years
  2. Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides: 3622 years
  3. Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum: 3266 years
  4. Huon-pine Lagarostrobos franklinii: 2500 years
  5. Rocky Mountains Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata: 2435 years

Other species suspected of reaching exceptional age include European Yew Taxus baccata (probably over 3000 years) and Western Redcedar Thuja plicata. Binomial name Pinus longaeva D.K.Bailey The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) is one of the bristlecone pines, a group of three species of pine found in the higher mountains of the southwest United States. ... Binomial name Fitzroya cupressoides (Molina) I.M.Johnst. ... Binomial name (Lindl. ... Binomial name Lagarostrobos franklinii The species Lagarostrobos franklinii, known as Huon Pine or Macquarie Pine, is a species of conifer growing mainly in the wetter southeastern corner of Tasmania, Australia. ... Binomial name Pinus aristata Engelm. ... Binomial name Taxus baccata L. Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. ... Species Thuja plicata Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, a species of thuja, is an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to the northwestern US and southwestern Canada, from southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northwest California and inland to western Montana. ...


The oldest verified age for an angiosperm tree is 2293 years for the Sri Maha Bodhi Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) planted in 288 BC at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka; this is also the oldest human-planted tree with a known planting date. Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura. ... Binomial name Ficus religiosa L. The Sacred Fig Ficus religiosa, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), Pipal (Peepul) or Ashwattha tree, is a species of banyan fig native to India, southwest China and Indochina east to Vietnam. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC - 280s BC - 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 293 BC 292 BC 291 BC 290 BC 289 BC 288 BC 287 BC 286 BC 285... Anuradhapura, (අනුරාධපුර in Sinhala), is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, world famous for its well preserved ruins of the Great Sri Lankan Civilization. ...


[edit] Trees in culture

Main article: Tree (mythology)

The tree has been and still is a popular cultural symbol in most of the world. Common icons are the World tree, for instance Yggdrasil, and the tree of life. The tree often represents nature or the environment itself. A tree can also symbolize investment for humans, and is featured in insignia of some banks, for instance Swedbank. Trees have played an important role in many of the worlds mythologies and religions. ... In certain Indo-European religions there was a belief in a world tree, such as Yggdrasil, in Norse mythology, an Oak in Slavic mythology and in Hinduism, a banyan tree. ... This illustration shows a 19th century attempt to visualize the world view of the Prose Edda. ... The Tree-of-Life is a fictional plant (the ancestor of yams, with similar appearance and taste) in Larry Nivens Known Space universe, for which all Hominids have an in-built genetic craving. ... Invest redirects here. ... The Swebank logo (1997-2006). ...


[edit] Major tree genera

[edit] Flowering plants (Magnoliophyta; angiosperms)

[edit] Dicotyledons (Magnoliopsida; broadleaf or hardwood trees)