Leaves of Green Trivia Quiz

Answer: Evergreen

There is only one current species in the Sequoia genus, Sequoia sempervirens - whose species name indicates that it is evergreen. They are also known as the California redwood, as that is where they are found, in a narrow strip, 5 - 10 miles in width, running along the Pacific coast north from Monterey County to southern Oregon. Extremely long-lived (over 2,000 years in some cases), they have time to grow very tall, with the tallest known specimen measuring nearly 116 metres (over 380 feet). The coast redwood provides extremely valuable timber, and logging (which began in earnest in the 19th century - the wood was excellent for railroad ties) led to a dramatic reduction in the areas where it can be found.

Answer: Evergreen

Kauri is the Maori name for Agathis australis, the largest (by volume) species of tree found in New Zealand, where kauri forests are found in the north of the North Island (north of the latitude 38S). They have very precise temperature and soil requirements - at the end of the last ice age, they were confined to the very northernmost part of the North Island, but spread further south, reaching their current range by about 2000 years ago.

They are long-lived, with many known to be over 600 years old, and some thought to be nearly 1,000.

While kauri are not as tall as sequoias, their cylindrical (as opposed to tapering) trunks means they provide relatively more wood for the same diameter of tree. They were prized for use in sailing ship masts - between 1840 and 1900, over 90% of the original trees had been logged; today about 4% are thought to remain, in isolated pockets.

The deforestation was also increased by burning, both accidental and intentional.

Answer: Evergreen

Taxus baccata, the original yew tree, is now given this name to distinguish it from some related species. It is found in western, central and southern Europe, as well as other regions around the Mediterranean. Most parts of the plant are toxic, through inhalation or contact; ingestion of even small amounts of the leaves can be fatal.

The wood was historically important (consider the English longbow), but is not now considered commercially viable because of its slow growth, and it is mostly used for hedges and topiary features.

Answer: Evergreen

Cocos nucifera is the only extant species in its genus, whose name came from the three dents in the coconut shell that were seen to resemble facial features - the old Portuguese word 'coco' means head or skull. The species name means nut-bearing, a reference to the distinctive fruit (which, however, is technically a drupe rather than a nut).

The trees were first domesticated during the Neolithic period by the Austronesian people of Maritime Southeast Asia, and spread across the Pacific as they migrated.

Much later, within the last thousand years, Arab and European sailors spread them from India to the tropical coasts of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, as well as the Caribbean.

Answer: Evergreen

Eucalyptus is a genus with nearly a thousand species, commonly just called eucalypts or gumtrees - a reference to their gumnut, the woody capsule that typically surrounds their fruit. While they are almost all evergreen, there are a few tropical species which may (or may not) lose most of their leaves during the dry season. Most eucalypts are native to Australia, where they form about three-quarters of the native forests. During bushfires, the oil in the trees can produce explosive flaming canopies, allowing the fire to spread rapidly. Eucalypts are adapted to deal with fire, and regrow well after even a major fire.

Their quick growth has made them a popular commercial softwood tree, and they are widely used for papermaking.

Answer: Deciduous

Quercus rubra, native to eastern and central parts of the United States and southern Canada, is a major contributor to the autumn colour for which tourists flock to the mountains in these parts. They turn a vivid red. Red oak wood is widely used as timber, although its open grain makes it unsuitable for outdoor use.

The acorns have a lot of tannins, so they are very bitter, and most deer, birds and squirrels eat the acorns from other species of oak in preference, but will eat red oak in a pinch.

Answer: Deciduous

Acer saccharum is fairly straightforward as a name. The genus is maple, the species is sweet and sugary. These trees, found across eastern parts of Canada and the US, are the major source of maple syrup. In late winter, as the sap starts to rise in the tree, it is extracted by making a cut in the tree, and collecting the sap in a bucket or other receptacle.

It takes a lot of sap to make syrup - one cup of syrup results from boiling between 20 and 50 cups of sap, depending on the sugar content of the sample.

In autumn, sugar maples provide variety as their leaves change colour: they range from bright yellow through orange to red, sometimes all on the same tree.

Answer: Deciduous

Betula pendula is commonly called the silver birch in Europe, where it originated, and the European white birch in North America, where it has been introduced. It gets its name from its white bark, which peels in a manner similar to that of the closely-related paper birch of North America.

Its species name is a reference to the way the twigs hang downwards. Silver birch is one of the first trees to change colour in autumn, turning yellow before falling and providing the first 'skeleton' trees of the year.

The open canopy of birch trees means that birch forests often have a lot of floral undergrowth, so attract a variety of birds and animals.

Answer: Deciduous

Lagerstroemia is a genus of trees and shrubs originating in the southern part of Asia and Oceania. It was named after the Swedish East India Company director who collected specimens and gave them to Carl Linnaeus for classification. Their name is descriptive of their crinkly-textured flowers, which are brightly coloured in the pink-red-purple range of colours. There is little commercial use of their wood, and they are mostly used decoratively, but the leaves of one species, L. parviflora, provide the food for the Indian forest-dwelling moth that produces tassar silk.

Answer: Deciduous

The genus Larix is made up of deciduous conifers - they lose their needles in the autumn, after turning a strong yellow-orange colour. Larches are one of the dominant species in the temperate to cold zones of the northern hemisphere. In temperate zones, they are found mostly in the mountains, but further north they are on plains, and extend up to the tundra regions. Larch is popular as a building material for European houses, both as exterior cladding and as interior panels.