1. A single tree can exist in two places at once.
 |
| Ablokhin / Getty Images |
Though it is rare, a fallen branch can become a trunk if it finds a place to root. Those two separate trees then share the exact same DNA.
2. The roots of some trees can grow as deep as 100 feet into the ground.
 |
| commons.wikimedia.org |
Found in Africa or the Middle East, the acacia tree's long roots tap into deep water sources, making it resilient against long droughts.
3. A palm tree is technically not a tree.
 |
| Borchee / Getty Images |
While trees are dicots, a palm tree is a monocot, which is more like a grass or a flowering plant. Palm trees are made of spongey tissue instead of rings of hardwood, and their leaves have parallel structures instead of a veiny sprouting structure.
4. Cactus spines are actually evolved leaves.
 |
| Bobby Ware / Getty Images |
Just like leaves, spines collect and prevent water from evaporating, provide a bit of shade, and protect the cactus from predators.
5. And some cactuses can come back from the dead, kinda.
"Resurrection plants" can shrivel up and close into a ball protected by their spines without growing for years. When the rain returns, they can return to full form and working order within 24 hours.
6. Only 5% of the millions of seeds dropped ever begin to grow.
 |
| Via gettyimages.com |
And only 5% of that 5% survive their first year.
7. Most seeds wait for at least a year to grow, but some can survive 32,000 years and still sprout.
 |
| news.nationalgeographic.com |
Buried by a squirrel during the ice age, this flowering plant survived as an immature seed for 32,000 years before scientists found and germinated it. Read more about it on
National Geographic
8. Mama trees share water with baby trees.
 |
| Thutruong / Getty Images |
9. Trees don't grow at the same rate.
 |
| Via commons.wikimedia.org |
"Within a pine forest, the thickest ten-year-old trunk is about four times thicker than the thinnest ten-year-old trunk," Jahren explains in the book.
10. A vine can become whatever it needs to be to survive — they can turn into roots or grow suction cups.
 |
| Via Flickr: 23727257@N00 |
11. Mushrooms attach to a tree's roots and help them draw water into the trunk.
 |
| Smitt / Getty Images |
12. Trees can "talk" to each other.
 |
| Shakzu / Getty Images |
Trees in a forest can communicate danger through secretions from their roots, but they can also alert trees even farther away when they release "volatile organic compounds." They can even change those chemical compounds to send specific messages about the danger.
