9 Shocking facts about trees

1. Trees also sleep at night?

Scientists studied the day-night rhythm of trees by using a time series of laser scanning point clouds consisting of millions of points each and found that trees also “sleep,” or at least relax a little at night. Source

2. Plants know when they are being eaten

A new study from the University of Missouri, shows plants know when they are being eaten, and they release defensive chemicals to try to stop it. Source

3. Can trees really change sex?

A study found, Damage encourages male Maple Species to become female. In 2015, the Guardian also reported that the UK’s oldest tree, thought to be up to 5,000 years old, was undergoing a “sex change”. Some plants also change their sex depending on how much light they receive. Source

4. Trees communicate with each other

According to new study by Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard et al., University of British Columbia, trees really do communicate and interact with each other and share resources through an underground fungi network. This research also revealed that when a Mother Tree (older Tree) is cut down, the survival rate of the younger member trees of the forest is substantially diminished. Source

5. Photosynthesis began 1.25 billion years ago

The process of photosynthesis in plants first took place 1.25 billion years ago, finds a study. Source

6. Urban trees are growing faster

A study found, urban trees are growing up to 25% faster than those in rural areas. It could be due to high temperatures (heat island effect) in urban that may stimulate photosynthesis to help plants grow. Source

7. Fastest growing plant

Bamboo is the world's fastest growing plant. Certain species of bamboo can grow 91 cm within a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 4 cm/ hour. This is due to a unique rhizome-dependent system, but is highly dependent on local soil and climate conditions. Source

8. Largest source of medicine

It is estimated that more than 25% of the modern day medicines originate from plants growing in the rainforest. An interesting fact is that only about 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. Source

9. How much CO2 does one tree absorb?

A healthy tree can store approximately 6 kg of carbon each year or 2.6 tones of carbon per acre per year. An acre of trees absorbs enough carbon dioxide over one year to equal the amount produced by driving a car 26,000 miles. Source