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>As far as why trees don't seem to evolve into grasses, (or grasses into trees) They are different branches of the tree of life. Dicots (trees) vs monocots (gr
by hammock 4y ago
>As far as why trees don't seem to evolve into grasses, (or grasses into trees)
They are different branches of the tree of life. Dicots (trees) vs monocots (grasses)
- thriftwy 4y agoPalm Tree is monocot, and it is a notable tree. A lot of grasses are dicot, any one with ornate leaves (monocots have blade-like leaves).
- dboreham 4y agoPalm tree is not very useful for structural wood.
- thriftwy 4y agoBamboo is monocot, not a tree, and is highly useful for structural wood. These are all orthogonal.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- hammock 4y agoOnly with a lot of glue added or as entire culms
- RosanaAnaDana 4y agoTell the pacific islanders that.
- 0_____0 4y agoIdk if you've dealt with palm wood but most of it is very very soft. You would not want to try to do anything you would recognize as structural framing with it.
- andreareina 4y agoI have and as long as we count coconut lumber it's suitable for low-rise structures.
- mcguire 4y agoBeing structurally a tree and producing useful wood are two distinct things.
- tremon 4y agoBut a palm "tree" is not structurally a tree -- it does not have branches.
- andreareina 4y agoCompletely beside the point, but coconut lumber is used for structural applications. The trees need to be fairly mature though.
- hammock 4y ago>Palm Tree is monocot, and it is a notable tree The least tree-like tree ever >A lot of grasses are dicot Such as?
- thriftwy 4y agoClover is a grass and dicot. Is clover a tree?
- samstave 4y agoHow tall are you?
- hammock 4y agoClover is grown on lawns...not sure how many people would call it a grass
- justinclift 4y agoMost people?
- thaumasiotes 4y agoNo? My guess would have been "zero people", for the obvious reason that clover isn't grass. Wiktionary doesn't even list a sense for "grass" that would include clover, and anyone can just add glosses there.
- thriftwy 4y agoHow do you call all the short-lived, green dicots growing in the meadows?
- thaumasiotes 4y agoDepends. What are you referring to? "Dicots" is not a category with any significance. Grass is mostly characterized by having blades instead of leaves. Other plants would be called... whatever they're called. If you want a generic term, it's "plants". If you want a term that refers to the specific function of covering what would otherwise be bare earth, that term is "ground cover", but ground cover is not restricted to plants. It applies just as well to gravel.
- mcguire 4y agoIs pine a tree? Cedar? Fir? Magnolias? How about cabbage?
- hammock 4y agoConifers (pine, cedar, fir) are trees but neither dicot or monocot, so outside the scope of this question. Magnolias are trees and dicots (so expected). Cabbage is a dicot but not a tree - not all dicots are trees. Maybe you misinterpreted my parent comment as me suggesting all dicots were trees? I more wanted to illustrate the key difference between grasses (which are monocots) and most trees
- shagie 4y agoCabbage is an interesting item in that list... I give you the Jersey cabbage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_cabbage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_cabbage > The Jersey cabbage (Brassica oleracea longata) is a variety of cabbage native to the Channel Islands that grows to a great height and was formerly commonly used there as livestock fodder and for making walking sticks. It is also known as Jersey kale or cow cabbage, and by a variety of local names including giant cabbage, long jacks, tree cabbage and the French chour and chou à vacque. > The 'Jersey cabbage' develops a long stalk, commonly reaching 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3.0 m) in height, and can grow as tall as 18 to 20 feet (5.5 to 6.1 m). ... https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/jersey-kale https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/jersey-kale
- mcguire 4y agoRosewood is similar, I believe.
- andreareina 4y agoI'd give even odds that brassica oleracea could be bred into a tree, yes.
- shagie 4y agoBrassica oleracea longata