If an unusual outgrowth appears on a tree, this means that the structure of this plant has undergone some major changes.
One of the layers of any wood is the so-called cambium. And such growths usually grow precisely due to it. It turns out that the integrity of this cambium itself was somehow violated by certain environmental conditions or mechanical damage.
This article is dedicated to this interesting phenomenon. After reading it, you can find out what are the growths on the trees, as they are called, and what is their significance.
Causes of growths
Usually on plants, they arise as a result of a sharp change in its development, which has either a natural or anthropogenic cause.
Growths are sometimes in the form of simply rounded formations, and there are also in the form of several cones located next to each other. The latter is due to the fact that when the integrity of the wood for some reason is violated, the tree tries to protect itself from various fungal diseases and insects, which is why similar unthinkable forms of formation grow.
Growths on trees: photo, name, general description
A cap (and caproot) is a growth on a tree with strongly deformed directions of wood fibers. Mostly rounded outgrowths occur on a branch or trunk. They are filled with small nodules of sleeping kidneys.
Mouthguards grow, as noted above, due to cambium. This is a kind of tree trunk defect . But besides kapov there are also other types of growths: smooth (spherical in shape) - suvel; irregularly shaped - tree cancer.
Some burls grow underground in the form of tumors on the roots. Therefore, they are found only after the death of the plant. Such root growths on trees sometimes represent several round (in the form of cones) bulges, interconnected by rope-shaped roots. Burls are almost always covered with bark, even if they are underground (this is a natural defense against insects and diseases).
Some species of plants have growths of enormous size. For example, such can be in sequoia. In 1984, a growth of inconceivable sizes on eucalyptus was discovered in Australia. It reached about 2 m in diameter and height, and its strange shape resembled a trombone.
Types of growths
Such growths are found on almost all tree species, but most of them on deciduous. Especially often they are found on oak, pine, birch and alder. In shape, they can be completely different. Often there are growths on a tree in the form of mushrooms.
These formations are divided into two groups (by the location of the fibers in them): ordinary, in which the pattern looks like a neatly combed hair - suvel-shaft; influxes with small, rounded and fancifully curved lace patterns - mouthguards.
A cap formed on a tree trunk is called a stem, and the root is located at the root. The second is also called caprox. It is found in the forest much more often than the stem.
The rarest, strong and beautiful, and therefore valuable, is considered a branch cap (growth on the branches of trees), which has a relatively small size (15 cm in diameter) and a needle structure. And the most common (less dense and valuable) is a root cap, sometimes reaching gigantic sizes. The stem growth occupies an intermediate position between the above varieties.
Value, feature
The growths on the trees are the most diverse in shape and size. The mouthpiece wood of the following plants looks very beautiful: maple, cherry, pear. On the international market, walnut growth is considered valuable. It should be noted that there have been cases when some mouthguards with a textural pattern were evaluated by the weight of silver.
For the most part, there are growths of small sizes, but there are also specimens reaching 2 meters in diameter and weighing more than one ton. Moreover, it often happened that the formation was entirely amazing magical patterns.
In birch, growths are found to be much smaller than on a walnut tree. It happens that in the beauty of their pattern they are significantly superior to the latter.
Who would have thought that such a valuable property has an ordinary lumpy growth on a tree!
Properties of wood
Mood wood has amazing, truly valuable properties:
• The natural uniqueness of the drawing on the cut, the uniqueness of the structure.
• Very high strength.
• Does not burn in a free flame.
• Perfectly polished.
• It is practically not subject to decay.
• Does not crack, does not dry out and does not swell.
Economic value and application
The growths on the trees bring considerable benefits. Not to the plant itself, no. They are used by man in the production of various products. Mouthguards are needed to produce unusual wood with a peculiar fiber texture. Due to the variety of unique drawings, this material is widely in demand and is used by artists, cabinetmakers and sculptors.
There is a huge variety of well-known and common types of burls used in the manufacture of veneers, beautiful interior items, board games, picture frames, household items, jewelry, etc. Such wood is not very easy to process due to its uneven and heterogeneous fiber growth directions, but it is strong and durable.
Widely used as a cap in decorative art. In Vyatka, a folk art craft was created in the 19th century: craftsmen made Vyatka kapok caskets, desk sets, etc.
Research results
According to statistics, for 3000 ordinary trees, without growths, on average there is one burl tree.
Since 1959, in connection with the value of such wood, the Central Research Institute of Forest Genetics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR began to study the burls and methods of growing them. Scientists have developed a technology for sowing and growing birches with burls. As a result, a huge grove was planted in the suburbs. And since 1967, planting of such a birch began to be made in the forestry of the Kirov region.
How to get a cap?
In any case, spoiling a living tree in the forest because of a beautiful burl is not worth it. Moreover, this natural anomaly is not so difficult to find - on trees in city parks, in gardens. Yes, and annually a large number of trees are cut down, on which you can find burl growths.
And yet ... In case of urgent need, this should be done carefully and in the period from late autumn to early spring, when the movement of juice in the tree is slowed down.
The growth on the bark of a tree can be cut with a sharp knife or sawed off. Be sure to cut the place of the cut with hydrogen peroxide and cover it with garden var. You can also lubricate the slice with linseed oil or fresh resin (natural antiseptic), however, today it is difficult to find.
And for gardeners, the following is important. To avoid the formation of such ugly forms of growths on garden trees, you need to inspect plants more often. If cracks and damage are detected, they must be healed until large burls have formed. In gardens, it is advisable to treat all growths on trees and branches.
Conclusion
There were many opinions about the formation of mouthguards. As a result, scientists came to this conclusion. Cap is a biologically normal, protective phenomenon. The growth of growth on a tree is a natural inherited natural process.
In the course of numerous scientific observations, it was found that such plants are more healthy. Such a tree is more resilient during spring floods and during periods of frequent temperature changes. It is also more stable under winds.
Due to the limited reserves of this type of wood and in connection with its unique properties described above, this material is of the greatest value among others.
The price on the cap market (veneer and solid wood ) on the world market is much higher than the cost of any other material of this kind, including walnut, oak, mahogany , elm and any exotic species.