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    Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe
    Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe
    Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe
    Ebook351 pages1 hour

    Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe

    By Bob Press and Colin Emberson

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    About this ebook

    Aimed at both the general reader and amateur naturalist, Green Guide Trees offers a wealth of information on observing and identifying 150 of the most commonly encountered tree species in Britain and Europe. Each tree is described in detail with information on height, shape, and important features such as foliage and fruit, and is illustrated with beautifully detailed, full colour painting. The introduction contains information on characteristics to help distinguish one family group of trees from another, and there are also keys which provide step-by-step clues to aid identification. Informative and compact, this book is ideal for both home reference and as a pocket companion in the field.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2016
    ISBN9781472916495
    Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe

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      Book preview

      Green Guide to Trees Of Britain And Europe - Bob Press

      Contents

      INTRODUCTION

      HOW TO IDENTIFY TREES

      FAMILIES OF TREES

      THE TREE KEYS

      THE TREES

      FURTHER READING

      MAJOR COLLECTIONS OF TREES TO VISIT

      Introduction

      Trees are a major feature of any landscape, whether massed together in forests and woods or as isolated individuals. As well as being things of beauty, they bring a sense of scale and permanence to their surroundings and mark the cycle of the seasons. Trees play a vital role in maintaining and protecting our environment. They prevent erosion, are part of the living system that recycles water, oxygen and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and provide habitats and food for many other organisms. Some have great economic value, mainly as timber or fruit trees but also as decorative ornamentals.

      The extensive forests that once covered most of Europe are now either gone or greatly reduced, many felled and cleared in ancient times to make way for agriculture. This is especially true of the broad-leaved evergreen forests of southern Europe. In the less densely populated regions of the far north more forests have survived. In modern times, re-afforestation programmes have led to large areas of land being returned to forest, although the trees planted are often not native but foreign species which yield useful timber.

      Approximately 250 species of tree are native to Europe, many of them rare or of restricted distribution. Through the centuries many more species have been introduced from elsewhere. Some of these are restricted to parks and gardens, others are planted on a commercial scale or have escaped into the wild to spread and become completely naturalised. This concise guide describes the 150 most commonly encountered species, whether native or introduced, wild or planted in streets, parks or forestry developments.

      How to Identify Trees

      Plants differ from one another in many ways and trees are no exception. With experience, identifying trees is relatively straightforward but for the beginner it can be confusing. One of the greatest problems is that, unlike wild flowers, most parts of trees are frequently out of reach. The following notes give some idea of which features to look for, and explain some of the terms used in the descriptions and keys. When you encounter a tree you wish to identify, examine it carefully, noting the various features. The key to species on here will help you decide to which species or group of species it belongs. Always take the book to the tree; never break off parts or otherwise damage it. Wounds may become infected and eventually kill the tree.

      Trees are woody plants with a single, clearly defined stem or trunk branching well above ground level. Shrubs differ in being smaller, with a more diffuse shape and several stems or a trunk which branches close to ground level. However, many trees can be short and shrubby and a large number of so-called shrubs may reach considerable size, so the distinction is rather artificial. Some trees produce young stems or suckers at or near the base of the trunk.

      Bark forms the protective outer layer of the trunk and branches and can be thin and smooth or thick, rough and corky. It splits as the tree grows, cracking or peeling away to be constantly replaced by new bark. The pattern of cracks and the colour of the bark or of the areas revealed as it falls can be useful recognition features.

      The twigs and branches make up the crown of the tree. The overall shape of the crown can vary between trees of different species, and between those of the same species but of different ages. Young cedars, for example, are conical but old ones are flat-topped and spreading. In general, young conifers have a very regular pattern of branching while young broad-leaved trees branch more randomly. Palms are unusual in having no branches. The crown is composed solely of leaves crowded at the top of the trunk.

      An obvious distinction is between deciduous and evergreen trees. Deciduous trees shed all their leaves annually. In Europe this occurs in autumn, when the dying leaves may exhibit a striking range of colours, mainly shades of yellow, orange and red. New leaves are produced each spring. Evergreens also shed their leaves but more gradually, constantly replacing them so that there is always a full crown of foliage.

      Stipules are leaf-like growths at the base of the leaf stalk. They are present in a number of species but often fall early.

      LEAF TYPES

      The shape and arrangement of the leaves are often characteristic of particular trees. Most have leaves alternating on the shoot but some have opposite pairs or whorls of leaves. The leaves may be divided into leaflets. Pinnate leaves have the leaflets in two parallel rows and sometimes a leaflet at the tip. Palmate leaves have the leaflets radiating from the leaf stalk like the fingers of a hand. Similarly, the leaves may be pinnately or palmately lobed without being completely divided into leaflets. The leaf margin may be entire, i.e. unbroken, or variously toothed. Leaves also vary in colour, texture and hairiness. They are generally paler and more hairy on the underside. Conifers have leathery leaves which are either narrow and needle-like or scale-like, overlapping and pressed against the shoot. Most, but not all, are evergreen.

      Flowers are made up of sepals, petals, stamens and ovaries. Petals and sepals provide most clues to identity, especially their number, size and colour. Where the sepals and petals are indistinguishable from one another, they are referred to as perianth segments. Stamens are the male parts of the flower, ovaries are the female parts, and flowers may be male, female or both, when they are known as hermaphrodite. Male and female flowers are sometimes borne in separate clusters or even on separate trees. The flowers may be solitary or grouped in a variety of clusters, spikes or heads. Wind-pollinated trees have

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