TREES –
OUR FRIENDS
They were explored and written by students
From 3а, 3v, 3g, 2а, 2b, 2v and 4 classes,
Secondary school “Ivan Vazov”, town Pleven, Bulgaria
TREES - OUR FRIENDS
The highest trees in the World are
Sequoia and Eucalyptus.
Sempervirens redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is an evergreen,
coniferous tree that lives up to 2,000 years. It is the tallest tree in
the world today, reaching a height of over 115 meters and over 7
meters in diameter at the base. It is believed that the name Sequoia
comes from the leader of the Cherokee Indian Sequoyah. Evergreen
redwood in the wild is found in a narrow strip 750 km long and
8-75 km wide along the Pacific Ocean in California, North
America. These trees are planted in Australia and New Zealand.
.
Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is a type of tropical deciduous tree in
the family Malvaceae . It is widespread in the savannahs of Africa.
It can reach a huge size - the circumference of the stem up to 45
meters. These trees can live up to 5000 years. The fruits of Baobab
provide food and fiber of the bark - for weaving coarse cloth.
The old baobab - this is a tank filled with water . Porous wood in
his wrinkled bark is soaked with moisture. Thirst that tormented
elephants, makes them attacking the huge trunks with their tusks
and smashing them into splinters.
Very often old baobabs are hollow.
Some of the trees are used for
houses. There is a case where the
baobab has served as a bus stop
and it fits up to 30 people .
Baobab in a kettle form in Infaty
Tanzania, Madagascar
Baobab in
The
highest
blooming
tree
–
Eucalyptus
King’s eucalyptus (Eucalyptus regnans) reaches a height of more
than 100m and circumference is over 3m. It is an evergreen tree,
which can be found in the mountain region of East Victoria and
Tasmania. The highest tree of this kind is measured in 1872. It is
132, 6 m high. The blossoms of this tree grow in tufts and the
fruits look like small capsules. The wood of these trees is highly
esteemed and it is used as building material and for making
furniture.
One of the most fragrant trees in the world is Sandalwood.
The most fragrant is the Sandal
wood. Oil is extracted from it.
Every young tree during the first
seven years of its development is
entirely dependent on food from
other
plants
(trees,
shrubs,
grasses). During this time it involves semi lifestyle. When the seeds
germinate and subsequently its roots are attached to the roots of
the host plant and hence derive nutrients for their development,
from which the host plant dies.
The smallest tree in the world is
Dwarf willow
Dwarf willow is considered to
be the smallest tree in the
World. It reaches a height of 510 cm and thickness of 1.2 cm
and it grows on the tundra in
the North.
The oldest trees in the world are :
Ginkgo biloba, Prometheus and Methuselah
Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest trees, still surviving and existing
today. It is assumed that it grows on the Earth more than 200
million years.
Prometheus and Methuselah
Methuselah and Prometheus are the oldest trees on our
planet, the Earth. The oldest tree of this kind ever found is a
big pine tree with pubescent
fir cones which is called
Prometheus. Before it was
cut down in 1964 this tree
grew in a pine wood on the
very borderline of the
altitude above the sea level,
over which no trees could
grow. It was near the mountain top Wheeler in East Nevada,
in the USA.
The log of Prometheus
Because
Prometheus
was
cut
down the title ”The oldest tree in
the World” at the moment belongs
to another tree from the same kind,
called
Methuselah,
which
was
identified to be 4838 years old. It
was found at a height of 3800m in the White Mountains, in
California. In order to preserve these unique trees scientists did
not show us the exact place of Methuselah. In fact there are no
pictures at all of the very tree but only of the forest, where it
grows.
Сара-е-Аbаr kооh (Iran) – it is a
Cypress tree, which is nearly 4000
years old. It grows in Yazd province,
Iran and is considered to be a National
monument.
The most unique and beautiful trees in
the
World are:
Californian Cypress, some fantastic trees,
Banyan.
The lonely cypress on Monterrey
survives nevertheless of all freaks of
Nature. The tree grows on the beach
Pueblo,
in
California,
which
is
situated on the Monterrey Peninsula.
The cypress is not big but it is really
amazing-it grows in solitude and
looks so beautiful on the background
of the Pacific Ocean.
An American farmer, Axel
Erlandson,
had
hobby-“to
create”
a
strange
fantastic
trees with unusual form. For this
purpose he cut, bended and
grafted
some
branches
in
a
special way, in order to make a whole “collection”. This tree, for
example, which trunk looks like weaved basket, is made of planting
six maple trees in a circle form.
Two legged tree or the Ladder tree
Erlandson was very secluded and he refused to share his secret
about these trees till the end of his life. In 1985 a millionaire
Michael Bonfante bought the trees and transported them to his
entertainment park in Gilroy.
Banyan (Indian fig tree)
Indian fig tree is called Banyan,
because of some Hindu’s traders,
who put through their meetings
under this tree. In fact this is
the tree, in which Robinson Crusoe
made his house, after the novel of
the same name. Even if you have
never heard about a banyan tree
you can always recognize its special form – a lot of roots are
dropping
downwards,
making
a
special
veil
around.
One of the most famous Banyan trees is called” The Holly Fig tree”
it is the tree Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, in Shri Lanka. It is
considered that this tree came from a branch, cut from the
original tree, under which Buddha got his enlightenment in 6c BC.
It was planted in 288 year BC and it is the oldest man planted
tree, which year of planting is familiar to us.
Trees-record holders - Jackfruit, Cypress
Montezuma, Raffia, Sea coco palm, Giant
bamboo, Antiaris
The tree with the biggest fruits - Jackfruit
Evergreen
bread-fruit
tree
-
Jackfruit. Its home-country is
India. It grows also in Brazil and
Thailand. The fruits can be 34kg
and the size is like a human’s
head.
Two or three trees like
this can make a living for a
whole family during some years.
The fruits if a Jack tree are very
nutritious and they contain 40 percent more carbohydrates than
in bread. They are very low-prized too. That’s why in India they
are called” The bread of the poor”. These fruits are used
widely in the local culinary.
The strongest tree - Cypress Montezuma (Mexico and
the south parts of the USA)
The
Cypress
tree
from
the
kind
Montezuma
(Taxodium
mucronatum) is a big semi evergreen tree, reaching a height of
40m.
The circumference of its trunk can be more than 3m. This tree
originates from Mexico and South
parts of the USA, more concrete
from Texas. It is resistant in dry
periods and grows very fast. The
tree, on this picture is El Árbol del
Tule, which can be seen in a Mexican
city Oahaka. Its circumference is
58m and the diameter of the trunk
is 11 m. It was considered that in
fact these are three different trees, which look like one but after
a DNK analysis this theory was refuted.
The tree with the longest
leaves is Raffia (Africa and
Madagascar).
Raffia (Raffia regalis) is a
kind of palm tree from which
precious fiber is derived. From it
nice furniture and accessories
are weaved, and strong ropes are made, too. Raffia can reach a
height of 16 m. Its impressive leaves are more than 25m each
and their width can be more than 3m. The local people use these
palm tree leaves as a building material for their homes-they
cover the roofs of their houses.
The tree with the biggest seeds – Sea coco palm
(Seychelles).
The palm with the biggest fruit in the world is a Sea coco palm
(Lodoicea maldivica), which is also called the Seychelles Palm. Its
nuts reach an enormous size (45- 50 cm) and can be 30 kg in
weight.
Sometimes from 5 to 8 years are necessary for the fruit to ripen
and then it falls down from the tree. On one tree cаn grow
about 60-70 nuts. This palm tree can be seen only on two of
the Seychelles islands (endemic species) and it is preserved. That’s
why it grows, cultivates and is controlled under a special regime
in a especial reserved place on the island Praslin.
The fastest growing tree – Giant bamboo (Southeast
Asia)
Bamboo is a perennial evergreen plant from cereal species. It can
grow up to 60cm per day. That’s why this makes the material
from it not only cheap, but ecological, too. Bamboo is the main
food for all the representatives of the Giant pandas’ family.
The most dangerous tree in the world – Antiaris
It grows in Malay Archipelago. This tree gives up volatile
substances, which contains poison, called “Antiarin”. When a
person inhales it - heart beatings are stopped. In the past some
sentenced to death prisoners were sent to get resin from this
tree.
Some interesting facts about trees in the world
They were explored and written by students
from3а, 3v, 3g, 2а, 2b and 2v classes,
Secondary school “Ivan Vazov”, town Pleven, Bulgaria
WE KNOW…
There are century- old trees
in Bulgaria
Baikushev's fir is located in the Pirin
Mountain near by Vihren refuge. The
circumference of its trunk is
approximately 8 meters. It's age is
estimated to be more than 1200 years.
There is an over 100 year old mulberry that
gives black and white berries at the same
time. The tree is located in Topolchane
village, Kardzhali Province.
There is an over
old walnut trees in the
500 year old mulberry and two 200 year
village Glushnik, Sliven Province.
"THE OLD ELM' is located in downtown Sliven. The tree is a
nature phenomenon at the age of about 1000 years. Its type is
Ulmus Kampestris (field elm). The circumference at its root is more than
5.65 meters and its height reaches 10 meters.
The oldest and thickest trees are located in protected area called
“Paroria in Strandja mountain.
800 year old oak
1200 year old oak blagun
Century-old plane tree–Gurmen
village. The tree is 24 m high, its perimeter
is 10,46m. Its age is over 600 years and
in 1961 year it is declared under a
protection, because of its age, dimensions
and beauty.
Century-old plane trees area called „Chinarite”,it is
located near Belashtitsa
village, where the thickest tree
‘’minar’’ grows in Bulgaria. Its age is
more than 1100 years and the
perimeter of its trunk is 13,7 meters.
In this countryside there are some
other thick plane trees. Since 2011
year the area has protected. The forest is located е on more than 11000
decares of land.
Viktoria Ivanova Marinova, 3 a class,
Yordan Kazachki, 2 v class, Ivan Vazov
School, Pleven, Bulgaria
A century old pear tree located on 4 Rakitin street.
We believe that the trees in our backyard school garden will
live more than a hundred years.
A century-year-old English oak tree on “Parashkev
Tsvetkov” Str., apartment building “Breza”.
A century-year-old field elm tree located in front
of St. Paraskeva church.
Four century-year-old trees English oak located in the yard
of the District Hospital.
A century-year-old English oak tree located in the yard
of St. Nikolai church.
A century-year-old
pear tree, which is
located in
the “Lenko Mishev”
neighborhood.
A century-year-old
white mulberry tree
located
on 14 Asparouh street.
Ancient trees in Pleven district are around 150 - basically
these are types of sessile oak and English oak, white
mulberry, willow, poplar, walnut, pear and thorny locust.
In Pleven there are several century-year-old trees. The
Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water looks after
these trees, which are determined as landmarks by the
Biodiversity Act.
Dear students,
Please stop and look at these trees, hug them
and they will give you a lot of energy. Nature is
our great mother. We have to thank her, enjoy
her and keep her safe every day.
Compiled information:
Students from Class IV