A.W.A.D. - What We Do To Trees

A few months back I featured this quotation from the journalist Hal Borland (1900-1978): "You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet."

Astute linguaphile Mark Germer wrote in response: "Recent work on information processing (even kin recognition) in plants suggests that there may be more going on there than we now understand; as for birds and mammals, it has long been appreciated that they are perfectly capable of deception and subversion. For my part, I don't find these things odd or disturbing, as it's the continuity of all life that intrigues me most. Humans are not alone in their baseness -- though a few may be alone in their desire to rise above it."

Mark said it well. There's more to trees and plants than we think (see nature.com). So next time you pluck an apple from a tree or trim that hedge, be aware that it may not be as oblivious as you think.

This week's words relate to what we do to the trees: chopping, trimming, twisting, bending, and stunting as we shape them.
espalier
PRONUNCIATION: (i-SPAL-yuhr, -yay)
MEANING: noun: A tree trained to grow flat against a wall.verb tr.: To train a tree in such a way

ETYMOLOGY: From French espalier, from Italian spalliera (shoulder support), from spalla (shoulder), from Latin spatula (shoulder blade).

topiary
PRONUNCIATION: (TOE-pee-er-ee)
MEANING:
noun: The art of creating sculptures by clipping, trimming, and training plants. Also, such a sculpture or garden
adjective: Of or related to a tree or garden shaped in such a way

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin topiarius (ornamental gardener), from topia (ornamental gardening), from Greek topos (place).

pleach
PRONUNCIATION: (pleech, playch)
MEANING: To interlace branches or vines to make a hedge, decorative shape, arbor, etc.

ETYMOLOGY: From Old French plechier, from Latin plectere (to plait). Ultimately from the Indo-European root plek- (to plait) that is also the source of plait, pleat, pliant, ply, apply, deploy, display, exploit, replicate, and perplex.

bonsai
PRONUNCIATION: (bon-SYE, BON-sye, -zye)
MEANING: The art of growing miniature trees in shallow pots; a tree grown in this way

ETYMOLOGY: From Japanese bonsai (tray planting), from bon (basin) + sai (to plant), from Chinese pen (tray) and zai (plant).

pollard
PRONUNCIATION: (POL-uhrd)
MEANING:
noun:
1. A tree cut back to the trunk to encourage a dense growth of new branches
2. An animal that has its horns or antlers removed or has shed them
verb tr.:
To cut off the top of a tree

ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English polle (head).

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