CONTENTS What Is a Tree 4 How to Use This Book 6 Conifers American Arborvitae 8 Giant Arborvitae 9 Bald Cypress 10 Mediterranean Cypress 11 Eastern Red Cedar 12 Drooping Juniper 13 Balsam Fir 14 Western Hemlock 15 Japanese Larch 16 Limber Pine 17 Scots Pine 18 Norway Spruce 19 Coast Redwood 20 Giant Sequoia 21 Japanese Umbrella Pine 22 Common Yew 23 Cycads Japanese Sago Palm 24 Silver Cycad 25 Wood’s Cycad 26 Pineapple Cycad 27 Ginkgophyte and Gnetophyte Ginkgo 28 Melinjo 29 Angiosperms Aloe Yucca 30 Joshua Tree 31 Saguaro 32 Quiver Tree 33 American Beech 34 Algerian Oak 35 Red Oak 36 White Oak 37 African Tulip Tree 38 Jacaranda 39 European Alder 40 Turkish Hazel 41 Paper Birch 42 Manchurian Birch 43 Baobab 44 Durian 45 Cashew 46 Mango 47 Pistachio 48 Staghorn Sumac 49 American Elm 50 Chinese Elm 51 Wych Elm 52 Japanese Zelkova 53 Avocado 54 Bay Laurel 55 Camphor Tree 56 Sassafras 57
Silver Wattle 58 Eastern Redbud 59 Honey Locust 60 Pagoda Tree 61 American Linden 62 Silver Linden 63 Southern Magnolia 64 Tulip Tree 65 Kapok Tree 66 Sea Hibiscus 67 Tall-Stilted Mangrove 68 Red Mangrove 69 Amur Maple 70 Red Maple 71 Silver Maple 72 Sugar Maple 73 Common Fig 74 White Mulberry 75 Blue Gum Eucalyptus 76 Weeping Bottlebrush 77 Common Guava 78 Chilean Myrtle 79 White Ash 80 European Ash 81 Flowering Ash 82 European Olive 83 African Oil Palm 84 Cabbage Palmetto 85 Coconut Palm 86 California Fan Palm 87 Chinese Tallow Tree 88 Rubber Tree 89 Almond 90 Common Apple 91 Wild Sweet Cherry 92 Peach 93 Grapefruit 94 Lemon 95 Mexican Lime 96 Sweet Orange 97 Shagbark Hickory 98 Pecan 99 Black Walnut 100 English Walnut 101 Quaking Aspen 102 Eastern Cottonwood 103 White Poplar 104 Weeping Willow 105 American Hornbeam 106 Common Witch Hazel 107 Glossary 108 To Learn More 109 Photo Credits 110
WHAT IS A TREE Trees cover nearly 30 percent of Earth’s land surface They Trees cover nearly 30 percent of Earth’s land surface They can thrive in many different environments tundra deserts rain forests and mountains Sometimes people take trees from their native areas and grow them elsewhere Trees can be used to make a wide variety of everyday products such as paper clothing candles shampoo tires toothpaste and much more WHAT DO TREES DO Trees do a lot of work to keep Earth healthy People sometimes call them the lungs of the Earth That’s because they can do many things including Filter polluted air Produce oxygen Provide food and shelter for animals insects and people all over the world Store carbon in their leaves and trunks Because of a tree’s ability to store carbon there’s growing evidence that planting more trees and stopping the destruction of forests can help counter the negative effects of climate change CATEGORIES OF TREES Scientists often define a tree as a living organism that has a root system woody stem and branches that form a crown True trees typically grow to be at least 12 feet 3 6 m tall They are also perennial plants which means they continue to grow year after year Trees belong to two main categories of plants Trees belong to two main categories of plants gymnosperms and angiosperms gymnosperms and angiosperms
A gymnosperm is a plant that doesn’t flower and reproduces by creating exposed seeds these are called seed cones Conifers cycads ginkgophytes and gnetophytes are all gymnosperms Many more trees belong to the angiosperm category of plants An angiosperm is a flowering plant that produces fruit containing seeds Apple trees maples and palms are all angiosperms There is a third category of tree-like plants called pteridophytes But these aren’t true trees Most of these plants are shrubs or ferns TREE IDENTIFICATION When identifying a tree it helps to pay attention to the following characteristics Height Most tree species have an average range Overall shape Trees can grow in many different shapes from tall and narrow to large canopies with multiple trunks Bark The bark is the protective layer on the tree’s trunk and branches It can be a variety of textures and colors Leaves One of the easiest ways to identify a tree is to examine its leaves Leaf shape color texture and arrangement can give people clues about the tree’s identity Flowers fruit and seeds If a person examines a tree during the spring or fall he or she can also use the tree’s flowers fruit or seeds to help identify it
