Trees of the World
Instructions: Travel the world's forests to discover remarkable trees — from the tallest redwoods to ancient baobabs — and learn what makes each one truly special.
- 1.
What is the tallest type of tree in the world?
ACoast RedwoodBGiant SequoiaCDouglas FirDSitka Spruce - 2.
The baobab tree is famous for its enormous trunk that can store water. On which continent do most baobab trees grow?
ASouth AmericaBAsiaCAfricaDAustralia - 3.
Which tree produces acorns as its fruit?
AMapleBElmCOakDBeech - 4.
A tree called Methuselah is famous for being one of the oldest living trees on Earth. Roughly how old is it?
AAbout 1,000 years oldBAbout 2,500 years oldCAbout 4,800 years oldDAbout 10,000 years old - 5.
Which tree is known for its beautiful white bark that peels away in papery strips?
ASilver MapleBPaper BirchCWhite AshDAspen - 6.
Japan's famous springtime cherry blossom trees belong to which plant genus?
ARosaBPrunusCMalusDPyrus - 7.
Which of these trees drops its leaves every autumn and grows new ones each spring?
ABlue SpruceBDouglas FirCSugar MapleDEastern Red Cedar - 8.
The Giant Sequoia is considered the world's largest tree by volume. In which U.S. state do these trees grow naturally?
AOregonBWashingtonCCaliforniaDNevada - 9.
How do you tell a fir tree from a spruce tree by touching the needles?
AFir needles are round and roll between your fingers; spruce needles are flat and won't rollBFir needles are flat and soft; spruce needles are square and prickly to the touchCFir needles are in bundles of two; spruce needles grow individuallyDFir needles are yellow-green; spruce needles are always blue - 10.
The olive tree is one of the world's oldest cultivated trees. Which sea region is its original homeland?
ACaribbeanBMediterraneanCSouth China SeaDBaltic Sea - 11.
Which tree is known as the 'walking tree' because it can grow new prop roots and appear to shift its position over time?
AMangroveBBanyanCWalking PalmDStrangler Fig - 12.
Pine trees keep their needles year-round and are called 'evergreen.' What is the scientific term for trees that keep their leaves all year?
ADeciduousBConiferousCEvergreenDPerennial - 13.
The Wollemi Pine was thought to be extinct for millions of years until a small grove was discovered alive in 1994. In which country was it found?
ANew ZealandBSouth AfricaCChileDAustralia - 14.
Which tree produces the cork used to stopper wine bottles?
ACork OakBBalsa Wood TreeCWhite WillowDEuropean Beech - 15.
Pando, sometimes called the 'Trembling Giant,' is considered one of the world's largest and oldest living organisms. What kind of tree makes up Pando?
ACoast RedwoodBQuaking AspenCLodgepole PineDWhite Oak
Answer Key
The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) holds the record for the world's tallest trees. The current champion, a tree named Hyperion in California, stands over 380 feet tall.
Of the world's eight baobab species, seven grow in the African region — six on the island of Madagascar and two on mainland Africa (one of which reaches the Arabian Peninsula), with just one species native to Australia. Their massive trunks can store thousands of gallons of water, helping them survive long dry seasons.
Oak trees are the only trees that produce acorns. Squirrels and many other animals rely on acorns as a key food source, and buried forgotten acorns often sprout into new oaks.
Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine growing in California's White Mountains, is about 4,800 years old — making it one of the oldest known individual trees on Earth.
The Paper Birch (also called White Birch) is recognized by its bright white bark that peels in thin, papery layers. Native Americans historically used birch bark to make canoes and baskets.
Cherry blossom trees belong to the genus Prunus, which also includes plums, peaches, and almonds. Japan's annual cherry blossom season, called hanami, has been celebrated for over a thousand years.
The Sugar Maple is a deciduous tree, meaning it loses its leaves in autumn and regrows them in spring. It is also famous for producing the sap used to make maple syrup.
Giant Sequoias grow naturally only on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. The largest individual, General Sherman, contains enough wood to build about 40 average-sized houses.
A handy rule: fir needles are flat and friendly (soft to the touch), while spruce needles are square and sharp (prickly to the touch). The 'S' in spruce stands for sharp and square!
The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated there for at least 6,000 years. Some individual olive trees in Greece and the Middle East are believed to be over 2,000 years old.
The Walking Palm (Socratea exorrhiza) of Central and South America is said to grow new stilt roots in the direction of sunlight while old ones die off, giving it the appearance of slowly 'walking.' Scientists still debate how much movement actually occurs.
Trees that keep their leaves or needles throughout the year are called evergreen. While most conifers (cone-bearing trees) are evergreen, not all evergreens are conifers — many tropical broadleaf trees are evergreen too.
A park ranger discovered a small grove of Wollemi Pines hidden in a deep canyon in Wollemi National Park, New South Wales, Australia in 1994. It was hailed as one of the greatest botanical discoveries of the 20th century.
Cork is harvested from the thick, spongy outer bark of the Cork Oak (Quercus suber), which grows mainly in Portugal and Spain. Remarkably, the bark can be stripped and will grow back over about nine years without harming the tree.
Pando is a massive grove of Quaking Aspen trees in Utah, all connected by a single underground root system. Its roughly 47,000 trunks share one root system and one genetic identity, making the entire grove one organism estimated to weigh 6 million kilograms.