How a tree grows. Features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

The science of botany is interesting and exciting. One of the questions that occupies a lot of people is whether trees grow and how. Let's find out.

Features

Growing a tree is a complex process. The life cycle of these plants consists of several stages:

• Appearance of seeds.
• Seed germination.
• Rooting seedlings.
• Growth and development of the tree.
• Reproduction.
• Aging.

It is known that trees are long-lived flora, some species can live for several hundred years.

Growth conditions

Let's continue talking about how a tree grows. At each stage, for the normal growth of tree representatives of the flora, a number of conditions must be met:

• For seed germination, the presence of oxygen and water, as well as the optimal ambient temperature, is important.
• When seedlings are rooted, the plant needs light, normal temperature conditions. The tree receives moisture and nutrients from the soil.
• The same conditions are required for the growth and reproduction stage.
• Over time, every body ages. In trees, this processcan accelerate insect pests and diseases.

Moisture and nutrients woody plants get from the soil with the help of roots. Also, in the process of photosynthesis, cellulose, starch and sugar are formed in the leaves, which ensure the growth of the plant.

Growth process

The tree grows in width and height. The increase in diameter occurs due to a special cell layer, the cambium, located between the bark and wood. It is here that the formation of new cells occurs, while the cells formed on the outside of the cambium form a bark, on the inside - wood.

It is not uncommon for the bark to crack and fall off as the wood grows at a much faster rate.

Special cells located on the branches are responsible for the upward growth of the tree. They begin to divide, increase in number, so the branches become longer and longer, new shoots appear. When cells lose their activity, tree growth slows down.

Considering how a tree grows, it is necessary to clarify that this process concerns not only the aerial part, but also the root system, which, under favorable conditions, can develop all year round.

Speed

According to the growth rate, trees are divided into several groups, the characteristics of which are presented in the table.

Classification of trees by growth rate

Group name	Features	Examples
Very fast growing	Growth of about 200 cm per year	White willow, acacia, warty birch, eucalyptus
Fast growing	100 cm per year	Spruce, sycamore, pine, larch
Moderate growing	50-60 cm per year	Hornbeam, sessile oak, field maple, Caucasian fir
Slow growing	15-20cm, sometimes smaller	Yew berry, apple tree, pear, Siberian cedar pine

Most often, a high growth rate is characteristic of trees with a short lifespan.

Places

Consider where trees grow. These representatives of the world of flora are found in a wide variety of environmental conditions:

• On the continents and islands. They are absent only at the North and South Poles, where permafrost reigns.
• In shallow water, more often in fresh water, less often in s alt water.
• Dwarf trees are found in the south of the tundra.
• Coniferous plants (larches and spruces), as well as birches can be seen in the forest-tundra.
• The taiga is rich in coniferous and deciduous trees. There are pines, firs, spruces, aspens, alders, birches, larches.
• Species are abundant in forests, coniferous, deciduous and mixed.
• Real paradise for woody plants - subtropics.

We see that the tree distribution area is very wide.

Sizes

Welooked at how a tree grows. Now let's highlight the question of which classes, depending on the size, stand out in these plants:

• The first size, their size is over 20 meters. These are spruce, larch, Scots pine, as well as warty birch, oak, beech, some varieties of maples and poplars.
• Second magnitude, from 10 to 20 meters. This group includes Canadian spruce, berry yew, hornbeam, pear.
• Third magnitude, from 5 to 10 meters: mountain ash, bird cherry, Siberian apple tree.

There are real giants among the trees:

• Giant sequoia, or mahogany, often reaches a height of more than 100 meters. The oldest of these representatives of the flora is over 3000 years old!
• Australia's largest eucalyptus at 189 meters high. Interestingly, unlike other trees, it does not shed its leaves, but the crown completely.
• The world's thickest baobab is a baobab with a trunk diameter of more than 50 meters.

Interestingly, most giants continue to grow.

Cultivated plants

Wood representatives of the flora are widely used by man, fruit trees grow in gardens, suburban areas, squares. In order to get a rich harvest of juicy and tasty apples, pears, apricots, people carefully take care of the plants: they feed, water, protect from diseases and pests. This prolongs the life of the tree.

We looked at how a tree grows, what factors are responsible for this process. It can be concluded that the flora of the planet is trulyamazing and diverse.