Trees

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Plant Talk | What makes a tree a ‘tree’

We know that some of the world’s tallest trees are amongst the tallest/longest living things Coast redwood of California – Sequoia sempervirens – 116.07 m Himalayan cypress – Cupressus torulosa – 102.3 m 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...

TREE TUESDAY | Ponga tree fern

Ponga (Aotearoa / New Zealand ) In rongoā Māori/Māori medicine ponga gum is taken to evict parasites worming through our intestines, and the pith (the soft cellular tissue) is known as an antiseptic.   These tree ferns are usually found in dry or open-air areas in lowland to lower mountain forest throughout the North Island. In the South Island ponga is largely absent from the wetter west and south, preferring sites with better drainage. Did you know? The silver fern...

Trees our greatest ally in floods

images by Henricus Peters  Trees are very important in our natural landscapes – never more so when it comes to     the impacts of flooding…. Dr Gregory Moore, botanist, writes on The Conversation website : “As the floodwaters recede, mountains of debris are left behind – sheets of plaster, loose clothes, mattresses and, of course, trees. Some debris I’ve seen in floods includes massive tree trunks weighing 5 tonnes of more, bobbing along like corks in the rapidly flowing...

Trees are important

Trees are vital. As the biggest plants on the planet, they give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter. Not only are trees essential for life, but as the longest living species on earth, they give us a link between the past, present and future. It’s critical that woodlands, rainforests and trees in urban settings, such as parks, are preserved and sustainably...

Christmas & Nature : the “New Zealand Christmas tree”

  The New Zealand Christmas tree The skies are grey in England, While ours are blue and clear. The holly gleams in England, Pohutukawa here. But the self-same Christmas spirit Holds each world in thrall, As we spread the Christmas message, “Peace and goodwill to all.” This poem comes from a 1930 edition of the New Zealand Herald, and it compares Christmas in England with Christmas in New Zealand. The author notes that while holly is traditionally associated with Christmas...

Trees poem

Trees   Fingers down to meet green earth or grey brown Earth holding all together tapping Nature’s foundations   Arms outstretched, brimming with pride to home wild things, wild plants, wild creatures floating butterflies irresistible breaks in the foliage   Strong limbs grasp the thick embers of a burning sunset layer upon layer of fire in unreal heavens marching to the top of the world the unseen ancients   Planet Earth continues through space trees the silent messengers of time...

Trees – global breathe machine!

The Dyerville Giant fell to earth in 1991. The Dyerville Giant was a 113-meter (370-foot) coast redwood tree, taller than the Statue of Liberty, in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California. The crash was so loud that people in the closest towns thought it was the noise of a big train accident. The redwood’s fall moved the earth so much that it registered on a nearby seismograph, a device scientists use to measure earthquakes. Dave Stockton, who runs the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association, remembers visiting the downed redwood the day after it...