Californians can be an odd group. We have trees her that used to be
shrubs and vines. I have a Wisteria that was trained as a tree. It's about
seven feet high with head of heady flowers in the spring. Others grow
bottlebrush into a "tree". I've seen a very old Wisteria that I think anyone
would refer to as a "tree".
I
guess this brings up the question of "What is a tree?". To me it
is a single trunk plant with a woody look and bark.
A
sunflower is not a tree nor is corn. They do not have woody trunks or
bark.
If
anyone would like to see a Bottlebrush tree I will be glad to post a photo on
my webpage. I would also like to see other definitions of a
"tree".
Chas
Some definitions for you-
A tree is any _woody perennial_ which naturally
posesses a single trunk arising from the roots.
(To qualify it has to be both woody and perennial,
which immediatley cuts out corn and sunflower, which, despite standing
stiff and tall are neither truely woody nor are they
perennial.)
A bush/shrub on the other hand is a woody
perennial which naturally develops multiple trunks.
Sometimes plants which are naturally shrubby are
deliberately trained on a single trunk to make them into
trees.
Some climbers, notably Wistaria as you mention, can
also be trained into a tree form, but the main stem has to be
well staked until it has become thick enough to support a head without bending
or collapsing so the result is a pretty artificial
construction.
Moira
