The Guide to Trees
- Mar 30
- 3 min read
And my personal favourites
By Madeleine Candy
In our fantastic world, there are over 60,000 species of trees. They bifurcate into two main groups, flowering and non flowering. Non flowering trees were the first to come about 360 to 390 million years ago, while flowering trees and plants came about 140 to 150 million years ago. That means, whenever you see a picture with dinosaurs and flowering plants, you now know it is wrong and unreliable! Examples of flowering trees include cherries, jacarandas, eucalyptus and magnolias, while non flowering plants consist of trees like conifers (pines, yews and firs). Now let's check out my personal favourites!
Cherry Trees/Cherry Blossoms
These beautiful, deciduous (seasonally shedding) trees can grow delicious fruit, or just act as an appealing pink decoration for your house or a community area. There are three types of cherry trees; sweet (Prunus avium), sour/tart (Prunus cerasus) and flowering types like the cherry blossom (Cerasus serrulata) which have been especially bred to not produce fruit. Cherries require cold winters and sunny, low-humidity conditions in summer in order to grow fruit in the hotter months and be dormant in the colder months.
Illawarra Flame Tree
Known for its bright, bell shaped flowers, this tree thrives in the climates of Australia and flowers in summer. Its scientific name is Brachychiton acerifolius. I just love how bright and bold it is, lighting up the earth with its colourful red flowers!
Red Maple
Also known as the Canadian Maple Tree or ‘Autumn Red,’ the Red Maple is commonly found in North America and is a fast growing deciduous tree. It is a rounded tree, with ascending branches when young that flat out once it matures. Its leaves stay green for a long period of time, then turn an orange hue and finally the bright red colour it’s famous for in many pictures. The Red Maple’s scientific name is Acer rubrum.
Jacaranda
You may have seen these trees light up Kirribilli in late spring or early summer, or instagramers posing in front of them. Although the Jacaranda tree is originally from South America, it got introduced to Australia in the mid-19th century and bloomed there, creating the purple flowering tree that now sheds all over your car in the modern day. Its scientific name is Jacaranda mimosifolia.
Baobab Tree
Ever seen tourists in their quest for the profound Baobab tree in outback WA Australia? These trees are known for their special method of storing water, edible fruit and fire-proof bark. The name ‘baobab’ comes from the Arabic word ‘buhibab’ meaning ‘fruit with many seeds’ and its scientific name is Adansonia digitata. In South Africa, these trees grow in the drier places of the Limpopo province. They grow very big, up to 22 metres high!
Willow Tree
Links to one of my all time favourite books, ‘His Name was Walter’ By Emily Rodda. As Walter sits underneath the willow tree, a friendly sparrow comes up to him, and, without him knowing, is actually a girl in need of his saving. Most species of this tree live near water or moist dirt, but some types are known to be able to thrive in dry conditions. People often like them for their wilting look, offering shade.
So, why are trees so symbolic and important? Whether it be a book or a movie, these plants are always there. Trees are often used as metaphors, like a ‘family tree’, or symbols of growth and connection. Just like at Loreto, how Mary Ward was grounded in faith just like the roots of a tree, she kept one foot up, moving forward, just like the growth of a tree despite setbacks and complications. Now off to the movies to see the new release of the Magic Faraway Tree! See you there!
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