Interesting Trees & Tidbits

We have previously talked about the oldest and largest trees in the world. There are plenty of other questions we may have, such as, what is the fastest growing tree or tree with the widest spreading branches. Here are a few interesting trees and tree-related facts to entertain your curiosities.
 
FASTEST GROWING TREE
You may know a silver maple tends to grow faster than a white oak. You may be aware that bamboo grows very fast, which can grow 1.5" per hour /2.9 feet per day. You can literally watch it grow! Even though it may look like a tree, bamboo is actually a type of grass. So what is the fastest growing tree?

Albizia (Falcataria moluccana), is a tree species that is native to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Growing in Malaysia, albizia has been documented in reaching 35ft in 13 months, or over 2.5ft per month! A white oak may need 35 years to reach that height.

WIDEST SPREAD OF A TREE
The crown of a tree is the upper portion which includes the branches, twigs and leaves. Pines usually have a more upright growth habit, being taller than they are wide. Trees growing in an open area have the opportunity to develop a wider crown than those growing in the forest. A bur oak that you may see in a farm field may have a broader spread than it is tall.

​What tree supports the widest spreading crown?

An Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis) known as Thimmamma Marrimanu & growing in southern India has the widest spreading crown discovered to date. Its entire crown covers almost 5.5 acres (620ft x 475ft), an area equivalent to three soccer fields.

​​Banyan trees have an interesting growth habit where they send down vine-like growths from branches, which take root once they reach the ground & thereby creating a trunk-like support for the branch as it continues to extend horizontally. Thimmamma Marrimanu is supported by nearly 4,000 of these prop roots/trunks.

The largest banyan/ficus tree in the U.S. appears to be the one growing at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Ft Meyers, FL. At 100 years of age, this tree is about 60ft tall and it's crown covers about 1 acre. Notice all of the trunks which formed when aerial roots reached the ground.

Banyans are considered a single-trunk tree although they generate the prop “trunks”. Notice the 4 trunks in the distance to the left side of the picture above. These are part of this same tree.

Compare this to Pando, a quaking aspen which covers 106 acres in Fish Lake National Forest in Utah. Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is a clonal species, meaning the underground root system sends up multiple trunks, each looking like an individual tree..

Solitary trees growing in the middle of crop fields are a common sight.

MOST REMOTE TREE
Speaking of a bur oak that you may see growing all alone in the middle of a corn field, have you ever wondered where the most solitary tree may be? I have.

The most remote tree is believed to be a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) growing on the subantarctic Campbell Island, New Zealand. It was planted in the early 1900’s and its nearest companion is on the Auckland Islands, over 120 miles away!

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MOST UNUSUAL PROPERTY OWNER
Do trees have rights? Apparently one does. In the early 1800’s, a property owner so loved the white oak (Quercus alba) growing on his property that he reportedly deeded the land to the tree itself upon his passing. The tree owns itself.

That tree fell in 1942 and was replaced with a new tree grown from one of its acorns. While the deed is not known to exist, the residents and community of Athens, GA recognize the tree’s title to the land.
 
MOST TREES PLANTED IN A DAY
I'd like to think everyone reading this has planted at least one tree in their life. Preferably a handful. Some of us have planted hundreds or even thousands.

Having worked on tree farms and reforestation crews, I have planted hundreds of trees in a single day. Planting a bare-rooted seedling goes a lot faster than a larger tree from the nursery! While I am proud of the number of trees I have planted over the years, Antoine Moses holds the Guinness World Record as the individual planting the most trees in 24 hours.

He planted 23,060 trees in La Crete, Alberta, Canada on July 17, 2021! What did you do with your time during the Covid-19 pandemic?

​My curiosity and interest in these types of tidbits doesn't end there. How much water can a tree take in each day? What tree has the largest fruit or seed? How deep do tree roots grow? We'll take a look at some of these and other tree trivia(l) facts next time.

Interesting Trees & Tidbits Pt 2 - see February 2025 article