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Reflections in Nature: Most of us identify trees not by scientific names, but common names

In recent times, the young couples that are going to have a baby often host a gender reveal party. Now, Mary Alice and I had never heard of doing this until our granddaughter and her husband invited us to one. However, when choosing a name for their baby, it is done the age-old way.

The couple selects a name for their newborn from either the Bible, flowers, favorite relatives, entertainment and sports world, people of importance or simply words.

The Native Americans waited until their children developed personalities and talents before names were given. Then, descriptive names, such as “Swift of Foot” would be given to a child that was able to run fast; “Walks Softly” would be given to a child that was quiet.

At first, people were given only first names. Later, as more and more people inhabited the earth, it was necessary to make a distinction between people. Descriptive words such as the place where a person lived; what they did for a living; or their parents’ names were added. For example, in the Bible, there are references to Jesus of Nazareth, John the Baptist and James, the son of Zebedee. Later, these rather long names were shortened to names, such as Jack the Cooper (barrel maker) became Jack Kuyper; Jake the Smithy (blacksmith) became Jake Smith and William the Wagon Maker was shortened to William Wagoner.

Now, you are probably wondering what this has to do with nature. The answer is we just can’t simply say, “You know the bush I mean, the one with the red berries.” There are many bushes with red berries, and this could cause problems. It depends on where you live as to what this bush with the red berries is called.

For instance, trees and bushes have many local names that have been passed down through the generations. Lumber men, foresters and nurserymen will also have different names for the same bush or tree.

The most conspicuous feature of a tree is its shape. Primitive man must have observed the differences in the trees and decided the trees needed to be classified. I’m sure the first big difference early man saw was that some trees lost their leaves before winter set in and some did not.

Evergreen trees must have been one of the first classifications. Since most evergreen trees bear their seeds in cones, these were known as conifers, while other trees were known as deciduous.

The lumbermen were not concerned with whether a tree kept its leaves or not and made another classification. After studying the texture of the tree’s wood fiber, the lumber men divided trees into two groups, hardwoods and softwoods. Most conifers were classified as softwoods, while most deciduous trees were classified as hardwoods. We know that this is only a general statement and not all trees fall into these categories.

However, man was not satisfied with these classifications. Although early botanists gave Greek and Latin names to our trees, these names are virtually unknown to us laymen.

Common names were also given to groups of trees. Oaks, which have 500 species in their family, have the scientific name quercus coming from two Celtic words: quer, meaning fine, and cyez, meaning trees. Can anyone dispute that oak trees are fine trees?

The name larch also comes from the Celts. Its scientific name is larix, meaning fat. Why fat? Well, larch wood burns fast and hot from the resinous wood. The Celts felt the larch burned as fast as fat; hence, the name larch. The Beech’s scientific name is fagus, which is Greek, coming from phago, meaning to eat. Beechnuts were eaten by both humans and swine. The scientific name for the ash tree is fraxinus, meaning to separate. Everyone knows that ash wood splits easily.

Most of us identify trees not by their scientific names but by their common names. Since John the Baptist lived upon locust and wild honey, some people believed that John the Baptist had eaten the pods of the carob tree, hence, the familiar pod-producing tree has been known as the locust.

Some trees, such as the apple, peach, orange, etc., have been named for their bark, foliage or fruits. The same goes for the nut trees. There are trees named for their leaf shape (the tulip tree); branches (weeping willow); sap (sugar maple); color of bark (white birch), while others were named for the character of the wood (iron wood and muscle wood).

Trembling aspens were named due to the constant movement of their leaves; mountain ash and swamp cedar were named because of where they grew, and many trees named due to their geographic locations — such as English elm, Georgia pine, Sitka spruce, cedars of Lebanon, etc.

At any time of the year, one can walk through a stand of white birch and be moved by their beauty. James Lowell wrote that the white birch was the “most shy and ladylike of trees.”

Imagine a stand of aspen in the fall, with their golden yellow leaves dancing and shimmering in the October sun, and one is sure to be filled with a sense of contentment.

Perhaps trees were the earliest temples of man. When looking up at a tree, man must have seen his first glimpse of the Creator. In I Kings, 4:33, of Solomon it was written, “and he spoke of trees, from the Cedar Tree of Lebanon to the hysson that springs out of the wall.”

Mary Alice is the one who inspired my appreciation of trees. No matter what time of the year, or what type of tree, she always draws my attention to trees.

“Bill, look at that river birch, its bark is beautiful.”

“Look at the shape of that tree.”

“Look how green that tree is.”

“Look at the bare branches against the wintery sky.”

“Look, Look, Look.”

Now, I’m hooked. I can’t stop looking and reading about trees. Trees, with all their beauty and all the gifts that they have given to man, are only one of the many wonders of nature.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.

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