Portal:Trees

The Trees Portal

Common ash (*Fraxinus excelsior*), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree

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. The earliest 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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Large specimen growing in a park in Germany

Ailanthus altissima (/eɪˈlænθəs ælˈtɪsəmə/ ay-LAN-thəss al-TIH-sim-ə), commonly known as tree of heaven or ailanthus tree, is a deciduous tree in the quassia family. It is native to northeast, central China, and Taiwan. Unlike other members of the genus Ailanthus, it is found in temperate climates rather than the tropics.

The tree grows rapidly, and is capable of reaching heights of 15 metres (50 ft) in 25 years. While the species rarely lives more than 50 years, some specimens exceed 100 years of age. It is considered a noxious weed and vigorous invasive species, and one of the worst invasive plant species in Europe and North America. In 21st-century North America, the invasiveness of the species has been compounded by its role in the life cycle of the also destructive and invasive spotted lanternfly. (Full article...)

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Did you know? -

Saalfeld Easter egg tree with 9200 eggs, taken March 24, 2009

... 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 Caucasian 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?

Selected article -

Foliage and acorns of Quercus robur

An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen. Fossil oaks date back to the Middle Eocene. Molecular phylogeny shows that the genus is divided into Old World and New World clades, but many oak species hybridise freely, making the genus's history difficult to resolve.

Ecologically, oaks are keystone species in habitats from Mediterranean semi-desert to subtropical rainforest. They live in association with many kinds of fungi including truffles. Oaks support more than 950 species of caterpillar, many kinds of gall wasp which form distinctive galls (roundish woody lumps such as the oak apple), and a large number of pests and diseases. Oak leaves and acorns contain enough tannin to be toxic to cattle, but pigs are able to digest them safely. Oak timber is strong and hard, and has found many uses in construction and furniture-making. The bark was traditionally used for tanning leather. Wine barrels are made of oak; these are used for aging alcoholic beverages such as sherry and whisky, giving them a range of flavours, colours, and aromas. The spongy bark of the cork oak is used to make traditional wine bottle corks. Almost a third of oak species are threatened with extinction due to climate change, invasive pests, and habitat loss. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 24000 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 3Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 4Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 5Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 6Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 7Land-use change in cropland and forest land by region and subregion, 2001–2023. In many areas forests are being cleared for farmland. (from Forest)
Image 8Forest area, by region, 1990–2025. (from Forest)
Image 9Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 10Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 11Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 12A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 13Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 14Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 15Proportion of forest in legally established protected areas, by region, 2025 (from Forest)
Image 16The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)
Image 17Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 18Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 19Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 20Diagram 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 21Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 22European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 23Redwood 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 24The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 25World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 26Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 27Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 28Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 29Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 30A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 31The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 32Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 33Even, 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 34Since 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 35Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 36Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 37Boreal forest in Finland (from Forest)
Image 38Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 39Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2023) (from Forest)
Image 40Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 41Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 42Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 43Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 44Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 45Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 46Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 47Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 48Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 49Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 50Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 51Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 52People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 53Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 54Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 55An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 56Priest 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)