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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, 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 reaching several thousand years old. Trees evolved around 370 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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The Mingo Oak (also known as the Mingo White Oak) was a white oak (Quercus alba) in the U.S. state of West Virginia. First recognized for its age and size in 1931, the Mingo Oak was the oldest and largest living white oak tree in the world until its death in 1938.

The Mingo Oak stood in Mingo County, West Virginia, in a cove at the base of Trace Mountain near the headwaters of the Trace Fork of Pigeon Creek, a tributary stream of Tug Fork. The tree reached a height of over 200 feet (61 m), and its trunk was 145 feet (44 m) in height. Its crown measured 130 feet (40 m) in diameter and 60 feet (18 m) in height. The tree's trunk measured 9 feet 10 inches (3.00 m) in diameter and the circumference of its base measured 30 feet 9 inches (9.37 m). Assessments of its potential board lumber ranged from 15,000 feet (4,600 m) to 40,000 feet (12,000 m). Following the tree's felling in 1938, it was estimated to weigh approximately 5,400 long tons (5,500 t). (Full article...)

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... that fossil leaves almost identical to those of the Australian rainforest tree Orites excelsus (pictured) have been found in New Zealand?
... that more than 8000 trees were planted in Backmuir Wood to celebrate the 2000 millennium?
... that the name of the newly defined genus of macadamia-like trees, Lasjia, is derived from the initials of Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson?
... that at St Athan, a wild fig tree grew out of the cement of the East Orchard chapel walls?
... that in the churchyard of St Mary and St Peter's Church in Wilmington, East Sussex, there is a 1,600-year-old, 23-foot (7 m) wide yew tree?
... that Christopher Werner made a lifelike South Carolina Palmetto tree out of iron, copper, and brass?
... that seed from an endangered Chrysophyllum imperiale tree planted in Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney in 1868 by Prince Alfred has been sent to its native Brazil to aid in recovering the species there?

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Clockwise from top left: almonds with shell cracked open, unshelled, shelled, and blanched seed

The almond (Prunus amygdalus, syn. Prunus dulcis) is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.

The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo. Once almonds are cleaned and processed, they can be stored for around a year if kept refrigerated; at higher temperatures they will become rancid more quickly. Almonds are used in many cuisines, often featuring prominently in desserts, such as marzipan. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Rowan tree in Wicklow, Ireland (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 2Temperate rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge (from Forest)
Image 3A section of yew (Taxus baccata) showing 27 annual growth rings, pale sapwood and dark heartwood (from Tree)
Image 4Palms and cycads as they might have appeared in the middle Tertiary (from Tree)
Image 5Broadleaf forest in Bhutan (from Forest)
Image 6Burned forest on Thasos (from Forest)
Image 7Cracked thorny skin of a Aesculus tree seed (from Tree)
Image 8Since 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 9Share of land that is covered by forest (from Forest)
Image 10Proportion and distribution of global forest area by climatic domain, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 11Wind dispersed seed of elm (Ulmus), ash (Fraxinus) and maple (Acer) (from Tree)
Image 12Casentinesi Forests, Italy (from Forest)
Image 13Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit of pedunculate oak, Quercus robur (from Tree)
Image 14Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia (baobab) species, Alluaudia procera (Madagascar ocotillo) and other vegetation (from Forest)
Image 15Dormant buds of ash, Fraxinus excelsior (from Tree)
Image 16Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology (from Tree)
Image 17Conifers in the Swabian alps (from Tree)
Image 18Redwood 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 19The General Sherman Tree, thought to be the world's largest by volume (from Tree)
Image 20Latvian Pine Forest in Ķegums Municipality (from Forest)
Image 214000 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 22Even, 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 23Latex collecting from a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) (from Tree)
Image 24Buds, leaves and reproductive structures of white fir, Abies alba (from Tree)
Image 25Buttress roots of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) (from Tree)
Image 26European larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduous (from Tree)
Image 27Tall herbaceous monocotyledonous plants such as banana lack secondary growth, but are trees under the broadest definition. (from Tree)
Image 28Yellow cassia, an ornamental tree with yellow flowers (from Tree)
Image 29Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) tree (from Tree)
Image 30Selling firewood at a market (from Tree)
Image 31Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) tapped to collect sap for maple syrup (from Tree)
Image 32Neem tree at Sant Nenuram Ashram (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 33Garibaldi Provincial Park, British Columbia (from Forest)
Image 34Recently stripped cork oak (Quercus suber) (from Tree)
Image 35A forest near Vinitsa, North Macedonia (from Forest)
Image 36Northern beech (Fagus sylvatica) trunk in autumn (from Tree)
Image 37Share of forest area in total land area, top countries (2021) (from Forest)
Image 38World production of selected forest products (from Forest)
Image 39People trees, by Pooktre (from Tree)
Image 40Priest 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)
Image 41A young red pine (Pinus resinosa) with spread of roots visible, as a result of soil erosion (from Tree)
Image 42Forest in the Scottish Highlands (from Forest)
Image 43An avenue of London planes (Platanus × hispanica) in a garden in Belgium. (from Tree)
Image 44Proportion of forest in protected areas, by region, 2020 (from Forest)
Image 45Diagram 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 46Lepidodendron, an extinct lycophyte tree (from Tree)
Image 47Alnus glutinosa (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 48Trees in art: Weeping Willow, Claude Monet, 1918 (from Tree)
Image 49Informal upright style of bonsai on a juniper tree (from Tree)
Image 50The Amazon rainforest alongside the Solimões River, a tropical rainforest. These forests are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. (from Forest)
Image 51Fraxinus excelsior (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 52Malus sylvestris (from List of trees of Great Britain and Ireland)
Image 53Form, leaves and reproductive structures of queen sago, Cycas circinalis (from Tree)
Image 54Olive trees in Pakistan (from Trees of Pakistan)
Image 55Roof trusses made from softwood (from Tree)
Image 56The Daintree Rainforest (from Tree)