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 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.
Definition
Diagram 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.
Although "tree" is a common word, there is no universally recognised precise definition
of what a tree is, either botanically or in common language.[1][2] In its broadest sense, a
tree is any plant with the general form of an elongated stem, or trunk, which supports
the photosynthetic leaves or branches at some distance above the ground.[3] Trees are
also typically defined by height,[4] with smaller plants from 0.5 to 10 m (1.6 to 32.8 ft)
being called shrubs,[5] so the minimum height of a tree is only loosely defined.
[4]
Large herbaceous plants such as papaya and bananas are trees in this broad sense.[2]
[6]
A commonly applied narrower definition is that a tree has a woody trunk formed
by secondary growth, meaning that the trunk thickens each year by growing outwards,
in addition to the primary upwards growth from the growing tip.[4][7] Under such a
definition, herbaceous plants such as palms, bananas and papayas are not considered
trees regardless of their height, growth form or stem girth. Certain monocots may be
considered trees under a slightly looser definition;[8] while the Joshua tree, bamboos and
palms do not have secondary growth and never produce true wood with growth rings, [9]
[10]
they may produce "pseudo-wood" by lignifying cells formed by primary growth.[11] Tree
species in the genus Dracaena, despite also being monocots, do have secondary
growth caused by meristem in their trunk, but it is different from the thickening meristem
found in dicotyledonous trees.[12]
Aside from structural definitions, trees are commonly defined by use; for instance, as
those plants which yield lumber.[13]
