Trees with eyes on bark
Is That a Birch Tree or Aspen Tree?
/ Mark Danenhauer
Birch or Aspen trees? Photo via Flickr.
A Birch tree and an Aspen tree look similar, especially during the winter without leaves. Can you tell them apart?
Whenever I go hiking with my family I like to bring along Jake’s Nature Guide: Rocky Mountains to help me identify the common trees. One of the trees that is common and I am familiar with are Aspen trees. However, during the winter when we go hiking it is hard to identify it because the bark of an Aspen tree and a birch tree are similar. Here are some hints to help you tell them apart.
This is a grove of Aspen trees. Note there are no horizontal lines all over the bark, but there are old scars and knots. Photo via Flickr.
Bark of Aspen and Birch Tree
Aspen – the bark is greenish white and smooth. It stays the same white color its entire life.
Birch – the bark of young trees is a chalky white, but as it ages it becomes furrowed and brown.
Peel the bark – The bark of birch trees can easily peel back and off the tree like paper. The bark of Aspen trees does not peel off.
Look at the small horizontal markings all over the trunk of these Birch trees. Photo via Flickr.
Look at the markings on the trunk – Both trees have marks on their trunks, but they differ. Aspens tend to have scars or knots (which look like eyes) on the bark. Birch have more horizontal markings all over the trunk that are not associated with any previous branches or scarring.
Leaves of Aspen and Birch Tree
Aspen – the leaves are heart shaped to rounded and are about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long. They look broader or fatter than Birch leaves. The edges are finely serrated or toothed.
A birch leaf is longer than an Aspen leaf.
The edges are more roughly serrated or toothed. Photo via Flickr.
Birch – the leaves are roughly serrated or toothed on the edges and are about 3 inches long in a long pointed shape.
This is an Aspen leaf. Look how broad it is and edges are finely serrated, not like the Birch leaves, which have bigger teeth on the edges of the leaf. Photo via Flickr.
Look at the shape of the leaves – Aspen leaves are shorter and rounder with smooth edges. On the other hand Birch leaves are a bit longer with rough or serrated edges.
Where Do They Grow
Aspen – these are among the most widespread trees, especially in the Rocky Mountains. They grow from low to high elevation and can often be found growing thick in areas after a burn, avalanche, or other disturbance.
Birch – they grow in moist lowland forests and in floodplains. They are generally in northern Idaho and north-eastern Montana.
Where are you – there are no birch trees growing naturally in the lower Rocky Mountains.
If you are high up in elevation then it is an Aspen. If you are low down in a floodplain or shady area in the northern Rocky Mountains, then it could be a Birch.
It can be difficult to initially tell apart an Aspen and Birch. But, by following these few pointers I hope that you will be able to figure it out, even during the winter. You can always bring along the great book, Jake’s Nature Guide: Rocky Mountains, on your outings to help you identify the common species of the Rockies.
ANSWER – By the way, the photo of the trees at the top of the page are Birch trees. If you look closely you can see the many, small horizontal lines on the trunks of the trees.
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Why are there eyes in trees?
These aspen eyes form when the tree “self prunes” by dropping smaller branches that don't receive enough sunlight and that leaves a scar on the trunk of the tree. Some of the aspens have multiple eyes on their trunks while some have just a few. Each of the eyes are unique.
Takedown request | View complete answer on onthewingphotography.com
Do trees have eye?
Several lines of recent research suggest that plants are capable of vision—and may even possess something akin to an eye, albeit a very simple one.
The idea that plants may have “eyes” is, in a way, nothing new.
| View complete answer on scientificamerican.com
What trees have eyes on them?
Aspen Eyes (Populus tremuloides)
Quaking Aspens (Populus tremuloides) are one of my favorite trees with their lovely bright green or yellow leaves and striking white bark, but perhaps their most appealing features are their enigmatic "eyes".
Takedown request | View complete answer on pinterest.com
Why do birch trees have eyes?
Captured in ancient lore, this tree is said to have “eyes” that served as guides along arduous mountain journeys so that any traveler would be seen safely home. The trunks and branches of the White Birch stand out strongly in the shadow of the forest.
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What does the aspen tree symbolize?
Of old the aspen was a tree of heroes, whose crowns of trembling leaves gave them the power not only to visit the Underworld, but also to return safely. Similarly, the aspen crowns people placed in ancient burial mounds may have been to allow the spirits of the deceased to return to be reborn.
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CREEPIEST Trees in the World
Are aspen trees immortal?
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| View complete answer on friendsofbroomfield.org
How old is the oldest aspen?
Pando, the 47,000-tree clonal colony of male* quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Utah is thought to be one of the world's oldest living organisms—the root system of Pando is an estimated 80,000 years old.
Takedown request | View complete answer on sunset.com
Does tapping a birch tree hurt it?
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Takedown request | View complete answer on mensjournal.com
Why are the birch trees bent in reality?
In 'Birches,' the speaker is sharing the thoughts that cross his mind every time he sees a birch tree that has been bent.
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| View complete answer on study.com
Does taking the bark off a birch tree hurt it?
Does it harm or kill a birch tree when you harvest its bark? If the bark is harvested properly it does not kill the tree.
Takedown request | View complete answer on folk.school
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Does a tree of heaven look like?
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Tree ornamented with glass eyes to ward off evil spirits in Cappadocia, Turkey.
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Do trees know they are alive?
Mountains of research have confirmed that plants have intelligence and even beyond that consciousness by many of the same measures as we do. Not only do they feel pain, but plants also perceive and interact with their environment in sophisticated ways.
| View complete answer on esalq.usp.br
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Takedown request | View complete answer on britannica.com
Can trees hear humans?
They're listening. That's the overarching conclusion from multiple research studies: While plants don't have ears, they can “hear” sounds in their local environment. More importantly, they can react.
Takedown request | View complete answer on now.northropgrumman.com
Why did Indians bent trees?
Bent trees were originally saplings that were purposely bent in the correct direction for accurate trail navigation. The bend of a baby hardwood tree (typically a white oak) was secured with items such as sinew, rawhide, or vines. Alternatively, the saplings were weighted down with dirt or rocks.
| View complete answer on harborclub.com
Why is my birch tree crying?
The plant phenomenon is called "positive root pressure," he says. Positive root pressure means the tree's plumbing system is responding to warm weather. Fine and major roots are taking up water from the soil and sending it into the limbs and branches to help buds break.
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Can you drink water from a birch tree?
The author of this answer has requested the removal of this content.
Takedown request | View complete answer on healthline.com
Can you drink tree sap?
Some people enjoy drinking sap fresh from the tree, while others prefer to boil it for a brief period to kill any bacteria or yeast. Since it is certainly possible for harmful bacteria to be found in sap, the cautious solution is to pasteurize it before drinking.
| View complete answer on chelseagreen.com
Does putting a screw into a tree hurt it?
Putting a nail or screw into a tree will create a small wound, but nothing a strong, healthy tree can't handle. The tree should compartmentalize and heal the wound around the object.
Takedown request | View complete answer on hansenstree.com
What tree lives the longest?
The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) has been deemed the oldest tree in existence, reaching an age of over 5,000 years old. The bristlecone pine's success in living a long life can be attributed to the harsh conditions it lives in.
Takedown request | View complete answer on treesatlanta. org
What's the oldest tree on Earth?
The story: In eastern California, a Great Basin bristlecone pine known as Methuselah has long been considered Earth's oldest living thing. According to tree-ring data, it is 4,853 years old — meaning that Methuselah was well established by time ancient Egyptians built the pyramids at Giza.
Takedown request | View complete answer on conservation.org
What is the oldest organism on Earth?
Methuselah, a Bristlecone Pine is Thought to be the Oldest Living Organism on Earth. The Inyo National Forest is home to many bristlecone pines, thought to be the oldest living organisms on Earth.
Takedown request | View complete answer on usda.gov
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Amur velvet - wood and wood - Phellodendron amurense
Amur velvet , or Amur phellodendron , or Amur cork tree (lat. Phellodendron amurense) 900; species of the genus Velvet of the family Rutaceae.
Botanical description
Dioecious deciduous tree, up to 25–28 m in height and up to 90–120 cm in trunk diameter. The crown in the forest is raised high, in the open - hipped, low-set.
The bark is ash-gray, very decorative, in young trees often with a silvery tinge, two-layered: the outer layer is velvety, consists of a layer of cork, the thickness of which in large trees can exceed 5 cm, the inner one is bright yellow, bast, sharply demarcated from a brownish-brown core and having a specific smell (also inherent in crushed leaves and fruits). Young shoots are covered with smooth gray bark.
Leaves pinnately compound, petiolate, alternate, opposite in upper part, shaped like ash leaves, but with narrower blades and characteristic odour. Leaflets are lanceolate, small-crested along the edge, with an unpleasant odor. The leaves bloom later than other deciduous species - at the end of May and even in June. In autumn, green leaves gradually acquire a bright yellow color, sometimes with an orange-copper tint.
The Amur velvet tree begins to bloom at the age of 18–20. Blooms in June - early July, about 10 days. The flowers are small (up to 0.8 cm in diameter), inconspicuous, yellowish-green, regular, five-membered, unisexual, collected in paniculate brushes, up to 12 cm long. Pollination is carried out by insects.
The fruits ripen in September and are globular black, slightly shiny drupes, usually with five seeds, inedible, with a sharp specific smell, up to 1 cm in diameter. Fruiting is annual. The tree produces up to 10 kg of fruit.
Distribution
Occurs in the Far East in the forests of Manchuria, Khabarovsk Territory, Amur and Primorye, China, Korea, Taiwan, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Japan.
In Russia, it grows mainly in valley multi-species broad-leaved forests; sometimes - on the slopes of mountains and along the slopes of hills, not higher than 500-700 m above sea level, where it is an admixture in the composition of coniferous-deciduous and secondary forests.
Velvet belongs to the relic plants that grew before the glaciation, they are living monuments of nature.
Cultivated in parks and gardens almost everywhere in Europe and North America, often in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Application
Bark, bast, leaves, fruits containing isoquinoline alkaloids (berberine), tannins, coumarins, saponins are used for medicinal purposes. It is known about the use of preparations obtained from this tree as tonic, antiseptic, antipyretic and hemostatic agents. In Korean folk medicine, eating two to three fresh berries daily is considered beneficial for diabetes. In Tibetan medicine, a decoction of the bark, bast is used for allergies, dermatitis, polyarthritis, diseases of the lymph nodes, diseases of the kidneys, eyes.
Amur velvet bast is a reserve source of raw materials for obtaining berberine, a source of yellow dye for silk, cotton and linen.
A good honey plant second only to linden, it produces honey that is sometimes thought to have anti-tuberculosis properties.
The main economic use of velvet is determined by the presence of a thick cork layer on its trunks and large branches, which can be removed without causing the death of the tree. The cork is used not only for sealing vessels with liquids, but mainly for the production of thermal, sound and electrical insulating gaskets. Cork crumbs and dust are used to produce linoleum, linkrust and other building materials. Cork is used to make floats for fish nets, life buoys, bibs, as well as souvenir boxes and various decorations.
Leaves are food for sika deer.
Very decorative, easy to cultivate - the plant requires almost no maintenance. Its disadvantage is late blooming and early dropping of leaves. Heat-loving, light-loving. Grows fast. Lives up to three hundred years.
Fruits and leaves contain a lot of essential oil. Wild animals such as deer, bears, raccoon dogs, birds, and domestic cows eat velvet fruits and leaves, especially in autumn if they suffer from helminthiasis. Milk from cows that have eaten velvet leaves does not sour for many days. Apparently, the essential oil of velvet has not only anthelmintic, but also antiseptic and bactericidal properties.
Wood
Wood with distinct heartwood and sapwood; the sapwood is narrow, light yellow, the heartwood is yellowish-golden, sometimes somewhat darker - light brown or brown. Annual rings are well defined. It has a beautiful color and a very expressive pattern, both in oblique, transverse and longitudinal sections, it is durable, well processed, resists decay, does not dry out a little. Can be used to make furniture, skis, gun stocks, frames, plywood. Similar to ash wood, but slightly darker. When carefully polished and cut with a sharp knife, Amur velvet gives a beautiful sheen.
varieties, description, cultivation features, useful properties of berries, bark, bast, use in folk medicine
Velvet is an oligotypic genus of flowering plants, a member of the Rutaceae family. This genus contains 10 biologically similar species that grow in East Asia. These are dioecious, deciduous trees with an openwork and very spectacular crown with feathery leaves, which also have a specific smell. The genus name comes from the Greek words "phellos" meaning cork and "dendron" meaning tree.
Content
- 1 Amur velvet
- 2 Japanese velvet and Sakhalin velvet
- 3 Use of velvet
- 4 Ornamental plants, Amur velvet (video)
- 5 Propagation of velvet tree
-
Amur velvet
This type of tree is classified as a relic plant that grew on the ground before the glaciation period. So we can say that this type of velvet is a real monument of nature that needs careful treatment, protection and breeding.
Usually, the plant is found on well-drained, rich soils, in mixed and deciduous forests of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, in China and Korea.
In the northern regions, the tree reaches 3-5 meters in height, in the Far East it grows much higher - about 25-30 meters.
The bark has a dark gray color, in young trees - with a silvery tint. Subsequently, the bark begins to darken, and in trees older than a hundred years, it becomes dark gray, almost black, and inside - bright yellow with a cork layer. The leaves of the Amur velvet consist of 5-13 leaflets, opposite, unpaired pinnate, have an interesting smell. In spring they are light green, in summer they are dark green with a light underside, and in autumn they become yellow-orange or pale copper. Its flowers are rather inconspicuous. The fruits are not suitable for food, black, ball-shaped drupes with a sharp resinous smell. Often, bunches of berries persist all winter until spring. Amur velvet is an ornamental tree throughout the year due to its beautiful and eye-catching wide oval openwork crown, which has graceful, openwork feathery leaves.
Amur velvet grows very fast. He loves light, demanding on the composition of the soil, but wind-resistant, because his root system is very deep and powerful.
It also tolerates winter cold well.
Thanks to its beautiful crown, it is often used in landscaping.
Japanese velvet and Sakhalin velvet
Both of these species have some similarities with Amur velvet. The differences are in a smaller size (average height - 15 m), dark and thin bark, as well as leaf morphology. Also, these species are less frost-resistant.
Such types of velvet are also light-loving, demanding on the soil, but drought-resistant. Good for transplanting, cutting and pruning. Their life expectancy is about three hundred years. Velvet wood is very light, moderately strong, shrinks a little, does not rot for a long time, and also has a decorative texture and color.
Application of velvet
Velvet tree is a valuable medicinal plant. Useful healing properties have its bark, which is harvested in the autumn or spring, its leaves, bast and fruits. Amur velvet leaves and bast have been used in Chinese medicine since ancient times as a tonic and appetite enhancer, which also promotes good digestion, helps with depression, exhaustion, hepatitis, bacillary dysentery, and also as a hemostatic agent.
Korean traditional medicine advises to consume 2-3 fresh berries every day in the presence of diabetes. In Tibetan medicine, a decoction of velvet bark or bast is believed to help with arthritis, allergies, dermatitis, diseases of the kidneys, lymph nodes and eyes.
Modern medicine has proven that the roots of the tree contain alkaloids and other nitrogen-containing substances, such as berberine, palmatin, iatrorricin, coumarins, and so on. The bark contains polysaccharides, alkaloids and steroids. Therefore, bark extract is often used to treat cervical cancer. Also, a positive effect is observed in the treatment of ascites plant bark tincture.
Good treatment of surgical wounds is facilitated by the use of velvet tree bark instead of rivanol. To prepare such a solution, it is necessary to insist 100 g of bark in 500 ml of distilled water. After 48 hours, heat the mixture over a fire, pour into a bottle, boil for 30 minutes in a water bath. Then you need to add 5 g of novocaine and 15 g of boric acid, and boil again, now for 10 minutes.
In the resulting liquid, it is necessary to soak a gauze napkin and apply to the wound.
Velvet leaves contain essential oil, vitamins C and P, beberin, tannins, coumarins, flavonoids. The essential oil obtained from the leaves has bactericidal, anthelmintic, antiseptic properties, and leaf phytonicides also have bactericidal properties.
The fruits of the velvet tree contain essential oil, carbohydrates, coumarins, alkaloids and tannins.
Carbohydrates and related compounds, mucus, starch, alkaloids, saponins, cumanins, steroids, tannins were found in the bast. That is why the bast is highly recommended as an analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant. Also, its use will be useful for lung diseases, influenza, tonsillitis, bone tuberculosis, bruises and helminthiasis. A decoction of the bast for external use is used for eye and skin diseases such as scrofula, eczema, as well as diseases of the oral mucosa. The decoction is also known for its wound-healing effect on bruises and burns.
