Boab tree, Tanzania; photo by Ferdinand Reus (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson is in full tree hugging mode this week in her opinion piece for the New York Times, in which she gives thanks and praises to the humble tree. Judson has bestowed the honor of April’s Lifeform of the Month upon the tree and provides us with some interesting facts that are guaranteed to elicit oohs and aahs of amazement from even the most cynical of readers.
For example, did you know…
A tree is a form rather than an order of plant. This means that the moniker ‘tree’ refers to the lifestyle of a plant rather than its ancestry and that trees can evolve from different orders of plants such as herbs and shrubs.
The island of Socotra, off the coast of Yemen, is home to a species of cucumber that has become a tree.
The bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) found in the mountains of the southwestern United States, is at least 4,600 years old.
Sequoias (Coast Redwoods) and eucalypts can grow to heights of over 90 meters (295 feet).
For more interesting and scientific information on trees, check out the entire article by Olivia Judson in the New York Times.
Sequoias trunk, photo by Mario Vaden (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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