Lives of the TreesDiana Wells, author of 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names now turns her attention to something bigger—our deep-rooted relationship with trees. As she investigates the names and meanings of trees, telling their legends and lore, she reminds us of just how innately bound we are to these protectors of our planet. Since the human race began, we have depended on them for food, shade, shelter and fuel, not to mention furniture, musical instruments, medicine utensils and more. Wells has a remarkable ability to dig up the curious and the captivating: At one time, a worm found in a hazelnut prognosticated ill fortune. Rowan trees were planted in churchyards to prevent the dead from rising from their graves. Greek arrows were soaked in deadly yew, and Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth used “Gall of goat and slips of Yew” to make their lethal brew. One bristlecone pine, at about 4,700 years old, is thought to be the oldest living plant on earth. All this and more can be found in the beautifully illustrated pages (themselves born of birch bark!) of 100 Trees. |
Contents
1 | |
9 | |
ALDER | 13 |
ALMOND | 16 |
APPLE | 19 |
APRICOT | 23 |
ASH | 25 |
ASPEN | 29 |
LARCH | 184 |
LEMON AND LIME | 188 |
LINDEN | 191 |
LOCUST | 195 |
MAHOGANY | 198 |
MANGO | 201 |
MANGROVE | 204 |
MAPLE | 208 |
AVOCADO | 32 |
BALD CYPRESS | 35 |
BAMBOO | 38 |
BANANA | 42 |
BAOBAB | 46 |
BEECH | 49 |
BIRCH | 52 |
BOX | 56 |
BREADFRUIT | 60 |
CACAO | 63 |
CATALPA | 67 |
CEDAR | 70 |
CHERRY | 73 |
CHESTNUT | 76 |
CHINA FIR | 80 |
CINCHONA | 82 |
CINNAMON | 87 |
CLOVE | 91 |
COCONUT | 94 |
COFFEE | 98 |
CORK | 103 |
COTTONWOOD | 106 |
CYPRESS | 109 |
DATE | 114 |
EBONY | 119 |
ELDER | 121 |
ELM | 124 |
EUCALYPTUS | 127 |
FIG | 131 |
FIR | 134 |
FRANKINCENSE | 138 |
FRANKLIN TREE | 142 |
GINKGO | 145 |
GOLDEN RAIN | 148 |
HANDKERCHIEF TREE | 151 |
HAWTHORN | 154 |
HAZEL | 157 |
HEMLOCK | 161 |
HOLLY | 164 |
HORNBEAM | 168 |
HORSE CHESTNUT | 171 |
JAPANESE CEDAR | 175 |
JOSHUA TREE | 178 |
JUNIPER | 181 |
MONKEYPUZZLE | 212 |
MULBERRY | 215 |
MYRRH | 219 |
NEEM | 222 |
NUTMEG | 224 |
OAK | 228 |
OLIVE | 233 |
ORANGE | 237 |
OSAGE ORANGE | 241 |
PAPAW | 244 |
PAULOWNIA | 247 |
PEACH | 250 |
PEAR | 253 |
PERSIMMON | 257 |
PINE | 260 |
POMEGRANATE | 265 |
POPLAR | 269 |
QUINCE | 273 |
REDBUD | 276 |
REDWOOD | 278 |
ROWAN | 282 |
RUBBER | 285 |
SAGUARO | 288 |
SANDALWOOD | 291 |
SASSAFRAS | 294 |
SPRUCE | 297 |
STEWARTIA | 300 |
STRAWBERRY TREE | 303 |
SUMAC | 306 |
SWEETGUM | 309 |
SYCAMORE | 312 |
TAMARISK | 316 |
TEA | 319 |
TREE OF HEAVEN | 323 |
TULIP TREE | 326 |
TUPELO | 330 |
WALNUT | 332 |
WELWITSCHIA | 336 |
WILLOW | 339 |
WOLLEMI PINE AND OTHERS | 343 |
YEW | 346 |
351 | |
353 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acacia alder almonds American ancient apple Arabic ash trees avocado bald cypress bamboo banana baobab bark Bartram beautiful beech berries birch botanical name botanist branches Britain Carl Linnaeus catalpa cedar century cherry China Chinese cinnamon clove coconuts coffee cones conifers cork cypress date palm described eaten elder English Europe European feet flowers frankincense Franklin tree French fruit garden Gerard’s ginkgo Greek grew hazel hemlock Herball holly hornbeam horse chestnut huge hybrid Indians island Japanese John John Bartram John Evelyn juniper larch Latin name leaf leaves linden Linnaeus live mangroves maple means monkey-puzzle mulberry native North America nutmeg nuts olive oranges Osage orange peaches pear pine planted Pliny the Elder poison pomegranate popular quinces redwoods Romans roots rubber seeds settlers Spanish spruce stewartia strawberry tree sumac tamarisk thought tree’s trunk walnut William willow wood wrote