Tree

From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening wiki

A tree is a woody plant that produces one main trunk and a more or less distinct and elevated head.^CH

[edit] Life cycle

The life cycles of trees, especially conifers, are divided into the following stages in forestry for survey and documentation purposes, though the boundaries between stages vary among foresters:

1. Seed
2. Seedling: the above-ground part of the embryo that sprouts from the seed
3. Sapling: After the seedling reaches 1 m tall, and until it reaches 7 cm in stem diameter
4. Pole: Trees from 7–30 cm diameter
5. Mature tree: over 30 cm diameter, reproductive years begin
6. Old tree: dominate old growth forest; height growth slows greatly, with majority of productivity in seed production
7. Overmature: dieback and decay become common
8. Snag: standing dead wood
9. Log/debris: fallen dead wood

[edit] Gallery

The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth.	Leaves are an important feature of trees. These are Beech leaves.	A moss-covered tree.	Birch tree (foreground) and maple tree (background) in fall.
Eucalyptus bridgesiana.	Nyssaceae: a Dove tree in flower	Coconut Palm, a monocotyledonous tree.	A moss-covered tree.
Tree roots anchor the structure and provide water and nutrients. The ground has eroded away around the roots of this young Pine tree.

This article contains a definition from the Glossary of Gardening Terms.