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TREES

There are plants everywhere in the world (except deserts). We give those plants names, too. But the most common plant that we see are trees-they are large organisms that belong to the Plant Kingdom.

Do you know that trees are one of the oldest plants on Earth, other than ferns and mosses? Like plants, there are many, many types of trees. Examples are the Flame of The Forest and the Pong-Pong.

Now you know what are trees and a few examples, let’s get to know some parts of some trees. Shall we start from top to bottom? OK, first, the most important part of the tree (and all plants) is the roots. The roots take in water, nutrients and minerals for the tree. Some trees that grow in mud have ‘special’ roots that hang above the ground help the plant to take in additional air for the plant.

Stems are at the second story of the tree. The stem, or commonly known as trunks for trees, have an outer covering called a bark. The trunk helps the tree to transport the water, nutrients and minerals from the roots to various parts of the tree.

Leaves are another important part to plants. They have a green substance called chlorophyll that helps the tree make food, unlike other organisms. This process of making food is called photosynthesis. In order to carry out photosynthesis, the tree needs light and carbon dioxide (CO2). When they do that, they are actually cleaning the air by giving out oxygen (O2).

The flowers come next. Flowers are usually the most beautiful part of the tree-they serve a very important purpose. They develop into fruits (see next paragraph), and for non-fruiting trees, they help to disperse the seeds (for example the Flame of The Forest).

Fruits are next. Fruits come from flowers which develop into fruits. First, the petals of the flower wither and drop. The remaining part (called the floral disc) grows bigger until it becomes a fruit. Most fruits are edible, and others are not. Some trees (like papaya tree) drop their fruits and when they break, their seeds are thrown around.

Trees are very useful to man. Trees provide shade and paper, something we cannot do without. Trees provide wood and for some species, fruits. Trees also catch dust particles that pollute the air. Finally, they keep the air cool. A whole forest is actually equivalent to many, many air-conditionals running at a time!

However, the amount of trees is cutting down gradually due to deforestation, leading to global warming. To prevent this, we should plant more trees to protect our environment.

-written by Ryan Yeo on 10 May 2008.

 

 

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