The Arrangement of Branches of Trees

Abstract

MAY not the want of symmetry or the “anyhowness” of the arrangement of the branches of trees serve some highly useful purpose? May it not help to prevent the trees being overturned in the highest winds by the want of synchronism in the motions of the branches? I have never seen or heard of such an idea and it may be open to serious objections; but some time ago I watched the branches of a large plane tree, still partially in leaf, during a high gale, and it seemed incredible the tree could stand, but for the fact that whilst one large limb was swaying one way, another would be swaying the opposite way, and so on, all plunging and bending anyhow, with no two in harmony. Some of the larger limbs would swoop down as others bounded up in a sudden gust, and some swaying laterally with the wind would be balanced by others at another part of the tree swaying against the wind.