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 trees 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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Zombia antillarum at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, Florida, United States

Zombia antillarum, commonly known as the zombie palm, is a species of palm tree and the only member of the genus Zombia. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (both the Dominican Republic and Haiti) in the Greater Antilles. Usually found in dry, hilly areas of northern and southern Haiti and the northwest of the Dominican Republic, Z. antillarum is a relatively short fan palm with clustered stems and a very distinctive appearance caused by its persistent spiny leaf sheaths. Threatened by habitat destruction in Haiti, Z. antillarum is a popular ornamental species due to its distinctive appearance, low maintenance requirements and salt tolerance. (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 most popular species for Christmas trees in Denmark and most of Europe is the Nordmann fir?
... that seed of the African teak tree is largely dispersed by fruit bats?
... that Trichia decipiens live on deadwood of conifers and leaf trees all year around?
... that Aecidium mori causes mulberry rust disease on the mulberry flowering plant, which decreases the quantity of leaves on the trees?
... that the satinleaf tree is endangered in its native Florida, but an invasive weed in Hawaii?
... that the Brown Treecreeper spirals up and down tree trunks while foraging?

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The olive, botanical name Olea europaea, meaning 'European olive', is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies found further afield in Africa and western Asia. When in shrub form, it is known as Olea europaea 'Montra', dwarf olive, or little olive. The species is cultivated in all the countries of the Mediterranean, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America and South Africa. It is the type species for its genus, Olea. The tree and its fruit give their name to the Oleaceae plant family, which also includes species such as lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and the true ash tree.

The olive's fruit, also called an "olive", is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil; it is one of the core ingredients in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Thousands of cultivars of the olive tree are known. Olive cultivars may be used primarily for oil, eating, or both. Olives cultivated for consumption are generally referred to as "table olives". About 80% of all harvested olives are turned into oil, while about 20% are used as table olives. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 2Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 3Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 4Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 5Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 6Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 7Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 8Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 9Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 10Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 11Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 12Diagram 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 13Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 14Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 15Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 16Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 17Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 18The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 19Priest 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 20European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 21A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 22Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 23Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 24Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 25Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 26Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 27The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 28People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 29Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 30World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 31Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 32Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 33Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 34Redwood 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 35Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 36Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 37Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 38Since 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 39Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 40Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 41An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 42Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 434000 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 44Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 45Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 46A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 47Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 48Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 49The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 50Even, 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 51A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 52Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 53Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 54Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 55Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 56Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)