Treecology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Trees and Forests

Treecology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Trees and Forests — page 7
Is It a Tree or a Shrub Trees and shrubs are large plants with hard woody trunks or stems Most have leafy branches or groups of leaves Size is generally the best way to tell the differ ence Shrubs usually grow less than 15 or 20 feet tall and often spread out close to the ground A mature fully grown tree can grow tall and straight to a height well over 20 feet Most trees have a single main trunk that branches out into many smaller branches and twigs But most shrubs have several woody stems rising right from the ground and then dividing into thinner branches Your school house apartment or nearby grocery store parking lot prob ably has several shrubs planted around it Here are some examples of shrubs e flowering lilac e blueberry bushes e azaleas e honeysuckle bushes e flowering forsythia e others hawthorn trees witch hazels and sumacs can often grow more than 15 feet tall so they are described in field guides as small trees or large shrubs A single plant family can include both trees and shrubs and even small woodland wildflowers It can be confusing to tell a tree from a shrub Some trees don’t grow tall because they are stunted by insect damage or poor growing conditions such as drought And many trees are pruned and trimmed so that they remain small Even though they could left This large sil ver maple planted as a shade tree is about 40 feet tall right Hawthorns are often described as shrubs or small trees because they usually grow less than 20 feet tall This downy haw thorn is in full bloom and about 12 feet tall 22