Posted on 11/02/2015 11:36:43 AM PST by Red Badger
A British tree thought to be up to 5,000 years old has started to change sex, a "rare and unusual" phenomenon not fully understood by scientists, a botanist said Monday.
The Fortingall Yew, in Perthshire, central Scotland has for hundreds of years been recorded as male, but has recently begun sprouting berries, suggesting that at least part of the tree is changing gender.
"It's a rare occurence ... rare and unusual and not fully understood," said Max Coleman of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who spotted the berries.
"It's thought that there's a shift in the balance of hormone-like compounds that will cause this sex-change. One of the things that might be triggering it is environmental stress."
However, the tree appears healthy, Coleman said, adding that it would now be closely observed for further changes.
The gnarled tree is situated in an old church yard, and is difficult to age because its heartwood—the wood in the centre of the tree—has long rotted away.
Scientists have been able to estimate by comparing its current size with measurements taken in the 1700s.
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That’s Oak-ay..............
Lecturer at lady’s garden club ....
“Sometimes when the air is still, a flower will shoot its pollen straight up and it will fall right back into the same flower. This is called self-pollenization, and it tends to make the flower go crazy.”
Trunk or treat?...............
Very Good!
I’ll go out on a limb. A tree changing sex is natural. A human? Not so much!
That’s just plain KNOTTY!
If a tree “goes down” in a forest, would there be any sound to it?
And the trees are all kept equal. By hatchet, axe and saw.
“If a tree “goes down†in a forest, would there be any sound to it?”
A Bark or two.
Probably been exposed to cable TV. Next, it’ll start a #oldtreesmatter campaign.
WTF is going on in this world???
put a kilt on it and let it be whatever it wants to be, underneaath
This just in: ESPN has announced it plans to present the “Arthur Ashe Courage Award” to the tree at the next ESPY Awards telecast.
ping
Still has the twig and berries....
Is this walking stick that Joseph of Arimathea planted in England that’s still alive?
i guess it depends on just how stiff it is?
(anyway, Somerset is a bit south of Scotland, last time I checked... but good point! might be an offshoot?)
Guess it won’t “sporting wood” anymore...
Maybe it’s just trying to .. branch out ...
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