Trees are the largest and strongest of all plants.
They have woody stems or trunks, and branches. These branches do not, as
in shrubs, start close to the ground, but at some distance above, from
which height they extend in different directions.
It is difficult to believe that some of the large trees we see, sprung
from small seeds; yet it is true that all trees started in this manner.
The seeds are scattered about by birds and tempests, and falling on the
soft ground, where they become covered with, leaves and earth, they take
root and grow.
Thus the little acorn sprouts, and from it springs the sturdy oak, which
is not only the noblest of trees, but lives hundreds of years.
The trunks and branches of trees are protected by a covering called
bark. This bark is thicker near the base or root of the tree than it is
higher up among the branches.
On some trees, the bark is very rough and shaggy looking, as on the oak,
ash, walnut, and pine; on others, the bark is smooth, as on the beech,
apple, and birch.
Some trees live for only a few years, rapidly reaching their full
growth, and rapidly decaying.
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