Interesting facts about trees

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A tree is a perennial plant with a trunk, supporting branches and leaves in most species.

The four main parts of a tree are the roots, the trunk, the branches, and the leaves.

Trees usually reproduce using seeds. Flowers and fruit may be present, but some trees, such as conifers, instead have pollen cones and seed cones.

They tend to be long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old.

Trees have been in existence for 370 million years.

trees

Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses.

It is estimated that there are just over 3 trillion mature trees in the world.

Although the majority of Earth’s terrestrial biomass is represented by trees, the fundamental importance of these seemingly ubiquitous plants for the very existence and diversity of life on Earth is perhaps not fully appreciated.

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The biosphere is dependent on the metabolism, death, and recycling of plants, especially trees. Their vast trunks and root systems store carbon dioxide, move water, and produce oxygen that is released into the atmosphere. The organic matter of the soil develops primarily from decayed leaves, twigs, branches, roots, and fallen trees, all of which recycle nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, and other important nutrients. There are few organisms as important as trees for maintaining Earth’s ecology.

There are 60,065 species of trees in the world, according to a comprehensive study of the world’s plants.

The greatest number of tree species grow in tropical regions and many of these areas have not yet been fully surveyed by botanists.

tropical trees

Trees are either evergreen or deciduous. Deciduous trees shed their leaves seasonally and evergreen trees keep their foliage throughout the year. Deciduous trees are adapted to tolerate cold and dry weather conditions by shedding their leaves while evergreens do not.  Most conifers are evergreens.

The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is the world’s largest tree and largest living thing by volume. However, with a height of 50–85 meters (164–279 feet) or more, a diameter of 6–9 meters (20–30 feet) or more, an estimated bole volume of up to 1,487 cubic meters (52,500 cubic feet), and an estimated lifespan of 1800–2700 years, the giant sequoia is among the tallest, widest and longest-lived of all organisms on Earth.

giant sequoia

General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California. By volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on Earth. It has an estimated bole volume of 1,487 cubic meters (52,500 cubic feet). With a height of 83.8 meters (275 ft), a diameter of 7.7 m (25 ft), and an estimated age of 2,300–2,700 years, it is also among the tallest, widest, and longest-lived of all trees on the planet.

general sherman

The tallest trees in the world are redwoods, which tower above the ground in California. These trees can easily reach heights of 300 feet (91 meters). Among the redwoods, a tree named Hyperion is the tallest living tree, it measured 115.85 metres (380 feet 1 inch) as of 2017.

redwoods

Until 2013, Methuselah, an ancient bristlecone pine was the oldest known non-clonal organism on Earth. While Methuselah still stands as of 2018 at the ripe old age of 4,850 in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, another bristlecone pine in the area was discovered to be over 5,000 years old.

methuselah tree

Pando also known as the trembling giant is a tree colony in Utah that is actually a single organism. It is a clonal colony of an individual male quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) determined to be a single living organism by identical genetic markers. The root system of Pando, at an estimated 80,000 years old, is among the oldest known living organisms. nIts massive size, weight, and prehistoric age have caused worldwide fame.

pando

Bonsai is a fascinating art-form that combines horticultural techniques and Asian aesthetics in a unique way. The art originates in the Chinese empire and was copied and adapted by the Japanese to what we know now as Bonsai trees.

bonsai tree

A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. Modern Christmas trees originated during the Renaissance of early modern Germany. Its 16th-century origins are sometimes associated with Protestant Christian reformer Martin Luther who is said to have first added lighted candles to an evergreen tree.

Christmas tree

The dragon blood tree is an iconic tree native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian Sea. The famous red resin that gives it its name is exuded from the bark after wounding. The dragon blood tree is an evergreen tree that can live up to 650 years and reaches heights of around 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 feet).

dragon blood trees

On Earth, there is the most expensive tree, whose price per 1 meter (35 cubic feet) is about $100,000 dollars. It grows in Africa, parts of Asia and in the forests of India and is called Eben (ebony). Ebony for the most part has ebony, very durable and waterproof. In ancient Egypt, wood was equated to gold for the price.

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.

Although “tree” is a term of common parlance, there is no universally recognised precise definition of what a tree is, either botanically or in common language.