Dictionary > Tree

Tree

tree definition and examples

Tree
n., plural: trees
[triː]
Definition: tallest form of plant floral diversity that is generally perennial, woody and branched among other plant varieties.

“The biological diversity is plenty if you look around yourself a little closely; with an eye for life!” … People often find it hard to recognize and identify biological diversity with precision because they lack the ability to categorize and sort biodiversity first. The basic rationale behind this is that when you sort and categorize different forms of biological organisms into groups, you use a set of pre-defined characteristic features and identification tags.

Just for example, in the megadiverse plant world, trees are just one type of floral diversity. Botanists and plant experts categorize flora based on their chosen characteristic features. Some like to categorize flora based on plant height; others choose to categorize flora based on the presence or absence of secondary growth. There is no “one” standout feature that can get consensus votes of all the Botanists to classify the plant diversity into tree and non-tree. When we look at how many trees there are in the world in totality, there can’t be a definite number to it, but only an estimate. Plant scientists lay their emphasis on forest covers and natural plant habitats more and less on the exact counting of trees.

Tree Definition

Based on the basic growth habit, plant scientists classify plants into herbs, shrubs, and trees. So, when asked about the definition of tree in biology, we can elaborate them as follows:

“A tree is the tallest form of plant floral diversity that is generally perennial, woody and branched among other plant varieties”.

If questioned, is a tree a plant? The answer is YES; a perennial plant! The origin of the word tree is from the Old English word “trēow, trēo”, which is further derived from a Germanic word “doru” meaning ‘wood, spear’ or “drus” meaning ‘oak’. In Botany, trees are different from herbs and shrubs based on these characters as listed in the table below:

Table 1: Characteristics of herbs, shrubs, and trees

CharacterHerbsShrubsTrees
StemsNon-woodyPartially woodyTotally woody
NatureUsually annual/biennialsPerennialsAll perennial trees
HeightSmallest (usually <1metre)Medium-sized (1-3 metres)Tallest (>4 metres)
BranchingNot muchModerately branchedIntensively branched
Root systemsWeak, can be easily uprootedModerately strongTightly bound to soil
Life spanShort (perishable ephemerals)Longer than herbs, shorter than treesLongest among others
ExamplesPoppy, basil, grassesRose, jasmine, hibiscusMango, pine, apple

 

Biology definition:
A tree is the tallest form of plant floral diversity that is generally perennial, woody, and branched among other plant varieties. In botany, plants are classified as herbs, shrubs, or trees. Trees differ from herbs and shrubs in being woody, perennial, tall (>4 meters), intensively branched, tightly bound to the soil, and the longest plant variety.  Examples of trees are mango trees, pine trees, and apple trees.

 

Californian poppy - herb - photo by Akanksha Saxena
Figure 1: Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica of family Papaveraceae) is a typical example of an herb depicting all the essential features as listed in the table. Photos Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

 

Rose sp. - shrub example - photo by Akanksha Saxena
Figure 2: Rose (Rosa spp. of family Rosaceae) is a typical example of a shrub depicting all the essential features as listed in the table. Photo Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

 

Mango tree - photo by Akanksha Saxena
Figure 3: Mango tree (scientific name Mangifera indica of family Anacardiaceae) is a typical example of a tree depicting all the essential features as listed in the table. Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

So, now when you’re asked to define a tree, you should be able to give the basic pointers about its nature like:

  • Woody: Stems and roots show secondary growth.
  • Perennial: Live for a good number of years (renew growth year after year). Although there are deciduous trees too that shed their leaves every season. So, when asked how do trees grow, there’s no one specific way, but generally, trees are perennial.
  • Profusely branched: Branching happens high above the ground level and a certain level of canopy formation is there!
  • Ubiquitous in nature: Spread around the globe across different ecosystems and habitats.
  • Multifunctional: Produce oxygen, prevent soil erosion, contribute to ecosystem stability, yield products of importance to life (food, clothing, shelter, ecosystem services, etc.)
  • Division of Kingdom Plantae containing trees: Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms.
  • An important point to note when we try to understand the meaning of a tree is that “tree is not a separate taxon”; meaning it’s not a specific taxonomic group per se. It’s just a category of plants based on some distinguishing features.

1. Members of various different taxa (Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms) at the Division level can be examples of trees.
2. Members of various different taxa (Cyatheaceae, Pinaceae, Rutaceae) at the Family level can be examples of trees.
3. But trees aren’t a separate taxon themselves!

To learn more about “what a taxon is?”, read our article on TAXON here.

Classification of Trees

Just like there’s no one fixed, standout way to tell what a tree is or what a tree means, there’s no one definite way to define a group of trees. While some scientists prefer to sort them phylogenetically, others prefer to categorize them based on morphological and ecological habitat preferences. Let’s look at each of them one by one and decipher the diversity.

A. Phylogenetic classification

According to the phylogenetic concept, different types of trees can be divided into 3 major groups. These 3 groups are actually the 3 major lineages of vascular plants namely:

1. Pteridophyta Trees
Among the Pteridophytes, tree ferns are represented by 3 different orders namely:

  • Cyatheales (with families Dicksoniaceae, Metaxyaceae, and Cibotiaceae)- small tree
  • Polypodiales (with genus Tempskya– extinct!)
  • Marattiales (with genus Psaronius– extinct!)

2. Gymnosperm Trees
Among the Gymnosperms, trees are represented by many different families some of which are:

  • Cycadaceae (with cycads like Encephalartos woodii)
  • Ginkgoaceae (much known Ginkgo biloba)
  • Pinaceae (like fir, juniper, pine, etc.)

3. Angiosperm Trees
Among the Angiosperms, trees are mainly a part of dicots. Only a few monocots are trees; examples are the family Arecaceae (palms, coconut, etc.), Asparagaceae (yucca, dracaena tree), Asphodelaceae (aloe tree). Otherwise, the wide representation of angiosperm trees is from dicot families. Some examples are mango tree, cherry tree, apple tree.

tree groups phylogeny
Figure 4: Some examples of trees from different groups under the phylogenetic classification of trees. Image Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

B. Ecological and evolutionary classification

  • In the evolutionary concept, a tree isn’t a distinct clade or unit. And neither can trees be called a primitive or advanced entity since both the most primitive plant families and the most advanced ones have tree species in them.
  • In the ecological concept, trees are defined and understood by their physical appearance. Some species of plants that are “tree by definition” in some ecological setups/conditions are “shrubs by definition” in some other ecological setup. One same species can be both a tree and a shrub, but it depends on which ecological setup it’s growing and flourishing. Since environmental conditions modulate how a plant species grows and forms into an adult, therefore to decipher if a plant species is a tree or a shrub, you need to first know how that environmental setup molds the growth conditions for that particular species.

C. Popular classifications

There are several types of other classifications which are popular among plant scientists, learners, and enthusiasts. Let’s take a quick look at them.

  1. Evergreen vs. Deciduous Trees

Table 2: Evergreens vs. Deciduous Trees

CharacteristicsEvergreen TreesDeciduous Trees
LeavesKeep leaves around the entire yearShed their leaves
Size of leavesSmallerLarger
Requirement of nutrientsLessMore (needed for foliage renewal)
Tolerance for weather conditionsLessMore
Sensitivity of rainfall & temperatureLessMore
Grow inWarm, tropical climateTemperate climate
ExamplesMost angiosperm treesConiferous trees like larch, angiosperm tree-like birch

 

evergreen vs deciduous leaves
Figure 5: Evergreen trees vs deciduous trees- Major difference is the “life of leaves” on the tree. Image Credit: Project Learning Tree.

2. Softwood Trees vs. Hardwood Trees

Table 3: Softwood  Trees vs. Hardwood Trees

CharacteristicsSoftwood TreesHardwood Trees
Basic groupGymnospermsAngiosperms
Nature of woodLight, porous, less dense, easier to cutDense, less porous, heavier, doesn’t split
Cost in marketCheaperMore expensive
Resistance to fireLess resistantMore resistant
Xylem vessels presentNoYes
DurabilityLessMore
Growth of treeFasterSlower
ExamplesPine tree, Spruce treeMaple tree, Teak tree

 

Hardwood trees vs Softwood trees
Figure 6: Hardwood trees vs Softwood trees. Image Credit: Yalong.

The Importance of Trees

Trees are important since they serve various functions in environmental stability, food and shelter provision to a variety of beings, ecological services to humans, and employment/financial support to sustain human lives. Let’s take a look at them under the various subheadings one by one.

Ecological importance

Why are trees important? Trees play varied roles of ecological importance ranging from environmental factors regulation like controlling floods, freshwater purification, regulation and modulation of Earth’s temperature, stabilization of surface soil layers, balancing air’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, improving the quality of air, provision of food and shelter to wildlife and ecological services to humankind. The different ecological roles that trees serve can be understood by the illustration below.

ecological roles of trees
Figure 7: Some of the major ecological roles played by trees. Source: style=”border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; padding: 10px;” Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

Economic importance

Trees provide a plethora of products of economic importance. Ranging from wood and lumber to essential oils and perfumes, trees contribute to the economy of a nation immensely. Look at the picture below to find out the many prospects humans use trees for!

Economic importance of trees
Figure 8: Some of the industries that exploit trees as the source of raw materials for their economic cycling! Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

Trees of special interest

Of the total land area of Earth, approximately a good 31% (~4.06 billion hectares) is totally covered by forests. This is according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 of FAO-2020. While trees cover a very good percentage amongst forests, trees are also there in the form of man-made plantations, urban parks, agricultural fields, natural swamps, mangroves, etc.

While all trees are special, some are a little more important because of the essence associated with them. Let’s discuss two of them to know what that “essence” is in tree biology…

1. SACRED GROVES

Sacred groves are tree communities or forests of importance to some indigenous communities. This could be due to some historic or spiritual or communal sentiments associated with the trees of groves. Sacred groves are treated as “living communities of trees” and revered hugely. Any sort of tree-logging or hunting activities are strictly prohibited in such tree communities. Even sapling trees in such groves are worshipped and can’t be uprooted. Some examples of sacred groves are:

a) Deodar Devban grove in Himachal Pradesh, India.
b) Umang Lai (literally, “Forest Deities”) in Manipur, India
c) Sacred groves of Sierra Leone in Ghana
d) Sacred groves of Oshogoo in Nigeria
e) Monastery groves in China (preserve Ginkgo biloba)

Monastery groves of China preserve Ginkgo biloba
Figure 9: Monastery groves of China preserve Ginkgo biloba. It’s also called the “living fossil” as it’s a living connection to the times of dinosaurs. This particular species of tree has existed for such a long timeline and hence is extremely important and revered. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it’s the “first tree”; surviving since the Jurassic and Triassic periods. Photo Credit: BoredPanda (1) and (2).

2. MANGROVES

Mangroves play an indispensable role in the proper natural functioning of the coasts of the world. Without mangroves, coastlines could have eroded away and life won’t have been sustained in or near the coasts. Mangroves forest trees are well-adapted to grow under “low-oxygen” conditions. One specific point to note here is that mangrove trees can grow only in “tropical to subtropical” areas/latitudes. They have zero tolerance for freezing temperatures of poles.

Some examples of mangroves trees around the globe are:

a) Rhizophora mangle – The red mangrove
b) Laguncularia racemosa – The white mangrove
c) Avicennia germinans – The black mangrove
d) Rhizophora mucronata – The loop-root mangrove
e) Avicennia marina – The grey mangrove

mangrove tree forests in the Loxahatchee area, Florida, USA
Figure 10: An example of mangrove tree forests in the Loxahatchee area, Florida, USA. Image Credit: oceanservice.noaa.gov

Tree Parts and Function

The various different parts of a tree with their functions can be understood by the table below. To state first, the different essential parts starting from down to up are roots, stem/trunk, leaves, buds, flowers, fruits and seeds.

Table 4: Parts of a tree and their functions

Parts of TreeFunction or Role
Roots
  • For anchoring to the soil
  • Uptake of nutrients & water
  • Symbiotic associations with microbiota in soil
Trunk (woody stem)
  • Give height to the tree, thus, maximizing light reaching to leaves
  • Transportation of water and nutrients from roots to aerial parts of the tree
  • Transportation of food from leaves to other parts of the tree
Leaves
  • Production of food for the tree
  • Exchange of gases
  • Evaporation and cooling of tree body
  • Limit water loss
Buds
  • Climate-dependent growth activities of tree
  • Dormancy and quiescence of plant growth
Flowers
  • Reproduction in trees and continuation of species
Fruits
Seeds
  • Carrier of genes for trees’ next generation

 

parts of a tree
Figure 11: Different parts of a tree are depicted in the illustration. Their specific roles have been discussed in the table too. Image Credit: Mr. Tree.

Tree Lines

By definition, tree lines are those edges of habitats where we can often see trees growing luxuriously. If we try to cite trees beyond the tree line, we fail to do so because those temperatures are beyond the tolerance levels of trees. Trees aren’t able to prosper beyond the tree lines because of the following reasons:

  • Extremely cold temperatures
  • Associated lack of available moisture
  • Extreme snowpack
  • Intolerance for non-physiological temperatures
why trees are unable to grow beyond the tree line
Figure 12: Four reasons why trees are unable to grow beyond the tree line. Image Source: Akanksha Saxena of Biology Online.

Adaptations

There are several adaptations in trees depending on the prevailing environmental conditions in the area where they are growing. To suit and gel well with those conditions, trees develop various morphological, physiological, and evolutionary adaptations. While some adaptations are general to all the parts of the trees (meaning they are common to the cells of all plant parts), while other adaptations are specific to some parts of the trees like leaves or trunk or roots.

Leaf adaptations

The various features of leaves that can vary and be fine-tuned by trees are:

  • Chlorophyll content
  • Leaf shape and size
  • Location and size of chloroplasts
  • Structure and size of stomata
  • The thickness of leaf and wax coat
  • Leaf angle of projection
  • Number of veins in leaves

Examples of leaf adaptations:

1. In xeric conditions, leaves are modified to adapt to the lack of moisture content. Since the evaporation rates are high, leaves are reduced in size to spines. To minimize the water loss, this kind of adaptation is important as reducing the leaf area compensates for the less water availability. Stomata are reduced in size and number, the leaf surface is thickened, cuticle and wax deposition is higher. Tissues become mucilaginous (to maximize storage of available water).
2. Furthermore, some trees go to extreme levels of leaf adaptation as they entirely drop their leaves when extreme summers step in. Example: Red Buckeye Tree

Red Buckeye trees
Figure 13: Red Buckeye trees drop their entire leaves when extreme conditions prevail. Photo Credit: Arkansas Native Plant Society.

3. Another example of xeric adaptation in leaves is the restriction of stomata in the Chinese Fir tree on the underside of the needle. Stomata have a characteristic “stomatal bloom”, which is a waxy white layer around the stomata. Purpose: Waterproofs the reduced needle-like leaves of Chinese fir tree and aids water conservation in the tree.

Stomatal bloom on the underside of the Chinese Fir tree
Figure 14: Stomatal bloom on the underside of the Chinese Fir tree needle-like leaves. This helps in the prevention of excessive water loss in xeric conditions. Photo Credit: Northwest Conifer Connections.

To learn more about various types of adaptations- structural, behavioral and physiological adaptations, read our article on Physiological adaptations.

Wood adaptations

Wood serves several essential functions in the life of a tree. From the provision of support to conduction of the water and nutrients to the transportation of food to the storage of carbohydrates, wood plays many roles that are basic to the life of a tree. It also plays indispensable roles in protection against pathogen attacks and many other defense roles. Wood is modified and adapted in different trees depending on the requirements of the species according to the environmental stresses.

The various features of wood that can be fine-tuned by the tree to make it the best suited for prevailing environmental stress are:

  • The growth rate of wood cells
  • Packing of the wood cells (loose/compact)
  • Accumulation of resinous/gummy substances
  • Wood rigidity (Nature and composition of cells)
  • Vessel/Tracheid/Fibers Distribution, diameters, and frequency
  • Percentage of lignification
  • Percentages of cellulose and hemicellulose

Examples of wood adaptations:

1. Bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) are one of the oldest inhabitants of Earth. These trees have survived the test of time because they have certain adaptations in their various body parts that make them well-suited for extreme environmental conditions. One of the notable adaptations is the extremely dense and resin-loaded wood of these trees. This heaving loading of resins and gums makes the trees resistant to pathogen and microbial attack. Since the presence of resins makes the wood durable; trees longevity is sureshot! Additionally, this also helps in the retention of more moisture to trade over the deficit of water these trees face.

Bristlecone pines
Figure 15: Bristlecone pines have lived for more than 4800 years. These have some exceptional adaptations, one of which is in their wood. Photo Credit: Grook Da Oger, CC license.

 

Wood of bristlecone pine trees
Figure 16: The wood of bristlecone pine trees is extremely dense and full of resins. The presence of resins in heavy amounts endows the wood the capability to evade attacks by pathogens, insects, and microbes. This gives a long age to the trees. Photo Credit: Lucas·G, CC license.

2. To cope up with the drought conditions, many tree species change their wood anatomy. Gymnosperm species like Pinus radiata and angiosperm species like Populus hybrids show an amazing diversity in their tracheary elements. Tracheary elements have mind-blowing plasticity if we look closely and compare among different plant lineages. Each such adaptation makes the particular tree species in the picture “the most suitable” for its habitat. This very complex system of wood in these species is for a perfect balance between optimum water conduction and to level out chances of failure during water deficit.

Gymnosperm vs angiosperm wood anatomy
Figure 17: A and D are transverse sections of Pinus radiata and Populus hybrids wood. B and E are tangential sections of Pinus radiata and Populus hybrid wood. And finally, C and F are individual tracheids of Pinus radiata and Populus hybrids wood. Image Credit: Zaccaro F.D.R., Groover A. (2019).

Interesting Facts About Trees

Thimmamma Marrimanu is a Ficus benghalensis tree specimen from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India. This is a single tree specimen with a record of having the largest land area cover and canopy cover. The canopy cover is 2.19 hectares (5.41 acres), the largest in the world of any single tree. This is nearly equivalent to “3 soccer fields”. Now, your dilemma would be “how can one tree spread so wide????”

The answer to this is: Ficus benghalensis have “prop roots”, which are aerial adventitious roots growing from the horizontal branches to the ground, eventually turning into trunks. These provide extra support to the tree and help it survive for long years.

Thimmamma Marrimanu
Figure 18: Ficus benghalensis tree “Thimmamma Marrimanu” has the world’s largest single tree canopy. One tree with over 4000 prop roots appears almost like a forest in itself. Photo Credit: Chris Griffiths.

Sources:
1) Guinnessworldrecords.com
2) bbc.com

 

Try to answer the quiz below to check what you have learned so far about trees.

Quiz

Choose the best answer. 

1. Which of the following is a characteristic of a fully-grown tree?

2. Which of the following are trees?

3. Trees producing flowers

4. Fern trees belong to this group

5. Examples are cycads, Ginkgo biloba, and pine trees

Send Your Results (Optional)

Your Name
To Email

 

References

1. Tokuhisa J. (2013). “Tree definition”. Newton: Ask a Scientist.
2. Ehrenberg R. (2018). “What makes a tree a tree?”. Knowable Magazine. doi:10.1146/knowable-033018-032602.
3. Keslick J.A. (2004). “Tree Biology Dictionary”.
4. Liphschitz N., Waisel Y. (1982) Adaptation of plants to saline environments: salt excretion and glandular structure. In: Sen D.N., Rajpurohit K.S. (eds) Contributions to the ecology of halophytes. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8037-2_14
5. PLANT ADAPTATIONS TO HOT & DRY CONDITIONS (Xeric Adaptations)- https://txmn.org/alamo/files/2020/08/XericAdaptations.pdf
6. Rathgeber, C.B.K., Fonti, P., Shishov, V.V. et al. Wood formation and tree adaptation to climate. Annals of Forest Science 76, 109 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-019-0902-3
7. Zaccaro F.D.R., Groover A. (2019) Wood and water: How trees modify wood development to cope with drought. New Phytologist Foundation. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.29
8. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/66385-tree-greatest-spread
9. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200219-thimmamma-marrimanu-the-worlds-largest-single-tree-canopy

©BiologyOnline.com. Content provided and moderated by Biology Online Editors.


You will also like...