What do we exactly understand about a Tree?

          A tree is a large plant with a woody stem or trunk, covered with a layer of bark. There are two main groups of trees: broadleaves and the conifers. Broadleaved trees are flowering plants that produce fruits with seeds inside. Conifers produce cones, which carry seeds on the face of each of their scales.

          Many broadleaved trees are deciduous: their leaves drop in autumn, or, in hot countries, during the dry season. Some broadleaves and nearly all conifers are evergreen. Their leaves do fall, but not all at the same time. The palm tree, which grows in hot countries, is a different type of tree. It usually has no branches and only a few large leaves at its tip.

          Trees are a valuable resource. They give us fuel, timber, medicines, food, paper, rubber and even soap. Even more importantly, they take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, so maintaining the balance of gases in the atmosphere.

HOW A TREE LIVES

          Like all plants, a broadleaved tree has roots and a shoot. The shoot is made up of a trunk (its stem) and branches bearing leave buds and flowers. The trunk holds up the tree while the branches and twigs spread out the leaves so that they receive as much sunlight as possible. The leaves themselves grow in a spiral pattern to avoid shading. Water (blue arrow) is drawn up from the soil to the leaves through the sapwood. The leaves use the water and sunlight, as well as carbon dioxide in the air to make food by photosynthesis. This food (red arrow) passes from the leaves to all other parts of the tree through the inner bark.

          At the base of the tree, a network of roots spreads outwards, anchoring it into the ground. Behind the root tips lie the root hairs which soak up water and nutrients from the soil. A large tree may take up several hundreds of litres of water every day.

A TREE’S YEAR

          As spring arrives, the buds of the horse chestnut tree open, the shoots lengthen and the leaves unfold. Flowers blossom, ready for pollination. In summer, the leaves are fully open. The fruits, made up of a spiny casing with a large seed or “conker” inside, ripen and fall to the ground. During autumn, the leaves turn brown as food drains from them into the trunk. A scar forms at the base of each stalk and the leaves fall off. In winter, the tree is protected by its waterproof bark. The buds, next year’s leaves and flowers, are covered by scales.

Picture Credit : Google