Why do mistle toes grow on other trees and where are they from?
599043
Mistletoe is a parasite, cannot survive on its own, needs a host to survive. The seeds can be introduced to a new host by birds, wind, or insects.
861654
Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. Among early Germanic tribes the Yule tradition was celebrated by sacrificing male animals and slaves by suspending them on the branches of trees.\n\nAccording to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the pagan kings sacrificed nine males of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year. According to one legend, Saint Boniface attempted to introduce the idea of trinity to the pagan tribes using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance.\n\n \nDionysus in his Triumphant Return; behind the god, Victoria holds an evergreen.The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of the ancient pagan idea that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life.[citation needed]\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_trees
284087
I don't think this is what you mean, but I find it interesting:    All Granny Smith apple trees can be traced back to the first one grown from a pip by Granny Smith, a poor Australian immigrant.  How's that.  Incidentally, the vast number of trees grown from pips are totally unsuccessful.  Most turn into crab-apples.
34432
When the rings you see are looked at through a microscope you realise that they are not rings at all. Instead, they are regions where the tree's cells are very small. Small cells are made when the tree is growing very slowly during winter.\n\nThe thing you see that is called a ring marks the winter growth of the tree - you can count how many winters the tree has endured.\n\nI wonder what you might see if you could look at the cut trunk of a tree that lives in equatorial regions where there is no winter?
285013
There appears to be several species of redwood. I'm assuming their height will differ depending on which type you choose. I'll add a link that will help you research the different types. :)
606038
Common Burdock: Burs are much smaller and stalks are shorter (burs are closer to the stem); the stalks of the lower leaves are hollow, not grooved and the plants themselves do not grow as tall\n\nGreat: The burs are large - up to almost 4cm and the stalks are long; stalks of lower leaves are solid and grooved on the upper surface; grows taller in general
60093
Some plants adapt to a crowded environment by changing their growth characteristics.  Many plants can sense crowding by the lack of an ability to spread their roots very far.  Some plants will start to change in what I consider to be an impressive display of "The Survival of the Fittest."  A short, bushy plant can start growing thinner and taller to fight out its neighbors for sunlight.  This can be common on forest floors (and even in the potted plant on my windowsill! It started growing upwards instead of outwards when it outgrew its pot. It must have thought it needed to start competing for light).
301280
What region do you live in?  Depending on where you live, there could be very different trees growing.\n\nhttp://www.oplin.org/tree/\n\nThis site has a pretty good key for identifying trees by leaf, but is missing several very common species.
545246
Some Monocots have a Lateral Meristem called the Secondary Thickening Meristem which produces Secondary vascular tissues. Examples of STM are Aloe Dracaena Cyperus Yucca.
795283
Yes, one ring per year.  Some trees grow faster, because their rings are thicker, like pine, and are therefore "soft" woods.  So hardwoods, like oak, grow more slowly, since their rings are smaller, and therefore more dense.
147481
Pine, common name for a family of coniferous trees, mostly evergreen, of widespread distribution in the temperate areas of the Northern hemisphere, and for its representative genus. The family, which contains 194 species in 9 genera, has enormous economic importance as a source of timber and wood pulp, among other products. Members of the family characteristically have spirally arranged, needle-shaped leaves. In several genera—for example, cedar and larch—the leaves are mostly borne in clusters or rosettes on short branches, or spurs.\n\nThe members of the pine family have separate female and male cones; the former produce the seeds, and the latter the pollen. Male and female cones are produced on the same plant; the seed-bearing cones are woody when mature; the seeds are winged. The family is distinguished from other conifers on the basis of its seed cones. Each of the flattened scales on which the seeds are borne is underlain by a distinct, sterile bract (reduced leaf) that may be shorter than and hidden by the scale, or may have a protruding and visible tip. The seed cones are drooping in all members of the family except the firs and a small genus confined to southern China and south-eastern Asia. All members of the family are evergreen except the larches.\n\nThe pine genus itself is the largest in the family, with 93 species, only about 13 of which are native to Europe. Pines grow in a wide range of habitats, from sea level to altitudes of 2,400 m (7,874 ft) in Europe and are distinguished from other members of the family by the leaves, which are in bundles. Each bundle contains a specific number of leaves, depending on the species, with a sheath of short, scale-like leaves at the base.\n\nPines can be divided into two groups, hard pines and soft pines, based on the number of needles per bundle and other characteristics. The hard pines have needles in bundles of two or three, and the scale leaves at the base persist in mature bundles. The wood is usually hard, with a close grain. Well-known species include the Scots pine, which is the only species of pine native to Britain and is the dominant tree of the great Caledonian forests of Scotland. It is also widespread in Europe, especially on light soils on high ground. It is a distinct tree with a small, often lopsided crown and long bare trunk with reddish bark in the upper part. The Austrian pine grows on alkaline and neutral soils in central and southern Europe. It is widely planted for timber. The stone pine is a Mediterranean species with a characteristic umbrella shape. It is grown both as an ornamental and for the edible seeds, sold as pine kernels.\n\nThe soft pines have needles in bundles of five, and the scale leaves fall away from the mature bundles. Their wood is soft and has a coarse grain. There are few native European soft pines but a number of North American and Asian species are widely grown. One native species is the arolla pine, a mountain tree growing at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,400 m (4,921 and 7,874 ft) in the Alps and Carpathian mountains. The Bhutan pine is a Himalayan tree frequently planted for its semi-weeping foliage. Bristlecone pines are native to North America. The Great Basin bristlecone, which can live more than 5,000 years, is possibly one of the oldest living things on the planet. Through analysis of the annual rings of these trees, scientists can gain information on the climate thousands of years ago.\n\nBoth pine groups are economically important for their timber, pulp, tar, and turpentine, and for their use as ornamentals. Other members of the pine family include Douglas fir, hemlock fir, and spruce.\n\nScientific classification: Pines make up the family Pinaceae. Its representative genus is Pinus. Cedars are classified in the genus Cedrus, the larches in the genus Larix, and firs in the genus Abies. The Scots pine is classified as Pinus sylvestris, the Austrian pine as Pinus nigra, the stone pine as Pinus pinea, the arolla pine a
749657
Ancient Romans believed that mistletoe had the magic power of peace. If opposing soldiers met under a mistletoe covered tree they would temporarily put down their weapons and declare peace for the day. In later times, in both England and Scandinavia, it was customary to hang mistletoe over doorways. Anyone who passed under supposedly came in peace and was greeted in a friendly manner, perhaps with a kiss. This probably accounts for the current custom of kissing under the mistletoe,\n\nOne Scandinavian legend states that Loki, the god of destruction, killed Baldur, the god of peace, by shooting him with an arrow made from mistletoe. Other gods and goddesses were saddened by Baldur's death and asked that his life be restored, which it was. In appreciation, his mother, Frigga, hung up the mistletoe and promised to kiss all who passed under it. Because of this, mistletoe became the symbol of both forgiveness and love.
8737
Christmas trees historically came from Germany, but were made popular by the Victorian Britain celebration of Christmas in the mid 1840s. That's where things like tinsel, holly, puddings, Santa Claus etc really started to take off and become part of Christmas. \n\nTrees were decorated with lots of glass ornaments in the early days as well as candles. Eventually the candles were replaced by safer lights.\n\nA lot of people object to the word Christmas Tree and that it should be a Holiday Tree. The tree is a  symbol of Christmas, not Christianity, so its name should remain as is. Whether you believe in Christmas or not, its still a tree of Christmas :-)
67089
Abso-freakin-lutely!  Can't you see them?  Ever go walking in the woods & come across a small clearing, or a small grove near a pond - and it just looks enchanting?  That's where they live!  You can also send them as messengers - I send love fairies to friends all the time!
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It's a Pagan tradition.\nThe original one is to touch a tree.\nIt's like... wishing upon a tree.\nRemember that most pagan religions are based on the powers of nature and the earth as a Goddess.\nTrees are magic.
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Perhaps it's your shadow, seeing as you say it's not a tree...\n\nAnswering 'a tree' makes sense though:\nA tree grows up: reaching for the sky.\nA tree has roots: clutching the ground.\nA tree has leaves: leave/leaf is a play on words...\nA tree's trunk is cylindrical: cylinders are round...another play on words.\n\nAlthough, I can justify 'your shadow' similarly:\nA shadow can be long or short depending upon the angle of the sun: reaching for the sky.\nA shadow must be cast against something, and can never stand independently: clutching to the ground.\nIf it's overcast, you can't always see a your shadow: sometimes it leaves.\nEven if you can't see it, your body still blocks light in some way. :It's always there, even if not visible...
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Think about the adaptations that allow a cactus to live in a desert.  Could a piece of pondweed live there?\n\nWhy do fir trees grow where it is cold?   Could an oak live there?