There's no such thing as a tree.
And as a QI fan, I feel compelled to add there's no such thing as a fish
No such thing as a tree? So you mean all those binary trees I've been inverting have been a lie? My whole world is shattered.
Of plants native to the Canary Islands, wood independently evolved at least 38 times!
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/duvalco/2024/01/23/are-palm-trees-really-trees/
A local park ranger I know likes to remark that our state tree is a grass. (I'm in Florida.)
But I'd say that's also inaccurate. IMO, grasses are in the family Poaceae, and palms are in the family Arecaceae. I guess one could remark that our state tree is a commelinid...but I don't think tourists would get as much of a kick out of that.
This is a reminder that there is no universally accepted botanical definition of tree. It is also a reminder that usage supersedes definition, so pointing out that coconut palm trees aren't "trees" makes you both annoying and wrong.
The definition of tree exists within the context of all that came before it? 🌴
Only in the context of biology and evolution, which the right doesn't understand.
Mmmmm, I'd say specialists would not use the broader definitions that are more colloquial in nature. Language depends on the user and their purpose/intent. Generally, trees are woody plants with secondary growth and they aren't monocots. It's not a hard boundary, but really depends on context.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C3&q=coconut+tree
Someone should tell the authors of these hundreds of papers then.
You do realize the qualifiers you edited in are exactly my point and directly contradict your post, right?
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/duvalco/2024/01/23/are-palm-trees-really-trees/
There's no way you actually read that.
It's literally a blog post of one person's opinion which concludes without a definitive statement, that it's not settled if they're trees or not, and then links to a page "for further reading" that categorizes them under trees.
I did and I agree with the author. You do not have to agree with us. It's a form vs function argument. There is not a "right absolute" answer, it's about how you approach the question.
then we agree that it's incorrect to definitively say that a "palm tree" is not a tree.
rigidly defending the boundaries of a biological category that's not a monophylitic group is an exercise in futility. or maybe in linguistics, because if it's not monophyletic it's not "real" in an evolutionary sense and the question is in the cultural realm and somewhat subjective. It's like the discussions about whether a certain food is a fruit/vegetable/etc.
I see it as a paradox. :) I don't like calling them trees. I just call them palms.
- Show
According to OP's definition:
Woody ✅
Secondary growth (feathers) ✅
Not a monocot ✅
https://i.postimg.cc/wBYcTxn8/delayed-agreement.png
you win 10 internet(s)
I have literature right here that says otherwise.
Ahem..
"A told B, and B told C, I'll beat you to the top of the coconut tree."
Time to post one of my favorite songs:
https://youtu.be/PKQPey6L42M
("Da Coconut Nut", by Ryan Cayabyab. This version is probably the one performed by his group, Smokey Mountain.)
This song reminds us that the coconut is not a nut; it is the fruit of the cocopalm.
