Portal:Trees

The Trees Portal

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, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only plants that are usable as lumber, or only plants above a specified height. Wider definitions include taller palms, tree ferns, bananas, and bamboos.

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 trees reaching several thousand years old. Trees evolved around 400 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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Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Pi de les tres branques in 2012

Pi de les tres branques (Catalan: [ˈpi ðə ləs ˈtɾɛz ˈβɾaŋkəs]; meaning "the three-branched pine") is a dead pine tree located in the countryside near the town of Berga in north-central Catalonia, Spain. It has long been regarded by some Catalan nationalists as representing the unity of the three "Catalan Countries" and is the site of regular political-cultural gatherings.

The tree has been dead since 1915 and is in poor structural condition, due in part to politically-motivated vandalism, but there is a very similar living tree a short distance away known as Pi jove de les tres branques ("the young three-branched pine"), which is regarded as its successor. Both are protected as "monumental trees" by the Catalan Generalitat. (Full article...)

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Did you know? -

... that veneration of the Amla tree (pictured), in particular on Amalaka Ekadashi, is due to the belief that the god Vishnu resides in and near the tree?
... that the future of the tropical tree Milicia regia for timber production is threatened by a gall fly, Phytolyma lata?
... that the churchyard of All Saints Church, Ulcombe in England contains a yew tree claimed to be more than 2,000 years old?
... that seeds of the extinct tree Eucommia eocenica have been found with latex covered fossils?
... that the fruits of the Lecythis ampla tree resemble little wooden pots with lids?
... that fossilized seeds of the extinct tree Eucommia montana are found from British Columbia to Colorado?
... that the Australian tree Agathis atropurpurea is known as the black kauri or the blue kauri because of the colour of its bark?

Selected article -

A genetically modified tree (GMt, GM tree, genetically engineered tree, GE tree or transgenic tree) is a tree whose DNA has been modified using genetic engineering techniques. In most cases the aim is to introduce a novel trait to the plant which does not occur naturally within the species. Examples include resistance to certain pests, diseases, environmental conditions, and herbicide tolerance, or the alteration of lignin levels in order to reduce pulping costs.

Genetically modified forest trees are not yet approved ("deregulated") for commercial use with the exception of insect-resistant poplar trees in China and one case of GM Eucalyptus in Brazil. Several genetically modified forest tree species are undergoing field trials for deregulation, and much of the research is being carried out by the pulp and paper industry, primarily with the intention of increasing the productivity of existing tree stock. Certain genetically modified orchard tree species have been deregulated for commercial use in the United States including the papaya and plum. The development, testing and use of GM trees remains at an early stage in comparison to GM crops. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 2Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 3A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 4Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 5The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 6Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 74000 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 8Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 9Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 10Priest 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 11Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 12Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 13Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 14The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 15Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 16Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 17Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 18Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 19Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 20Redwood 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 21Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 22Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 23Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 24Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 25Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 26Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 27Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 28Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 29Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 30Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 31Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 32Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 33Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 34An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 35Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 36The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 37Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 38A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 39European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 40Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 41Even, 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 42World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 43Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 44Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 45Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 46Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 47People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 48A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 49Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 50Diagram 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 51Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 52Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 53Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 54Since 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 55Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 56Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)

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Trees

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