a cooperative collection of Trees Identity Cards

made in class by the students from Cyprus,

Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Spain.

ITALY - FROSSASCO SCHOOL

QUERCIA

Quercus pubescens

Oak

Climate: temperate

Age: 200- 300years old

Height: 20-30 m

It is a deciduous tree.

Leaves are rough.

They turn brown but stay on the tree

in Autumn.

They have lobate margins

Fruit: acorns

The wood is very resistant.

It’s used to make paneling, barrels,

ships and to make fire.

Acorns are the food for pigs.

Chestnut tree Identity card

Name: Chestnut tree Castagno The name comes from the Greek word “kastanon”. The Romans introduced it in Europe.

Habitat: temperate Size: It can be very big and old. The oldest in Italy is on Etna volcano. It is about 1000 years old.

Leaves: deciduous and lanceolate

It is a deciduous tree

Fruit: chestnuts (they are closed in a burr)

Uses of the plant (if there are)

Cooking (cakes, soup, fillings…) Animal food Timber Fuel Shampoo

Birch tree Identity card

Name: Birch tree Betulla The name comes from the Latin word “Betula”

Habitat: temperate and dry Size: It can be 15-30 m high It has got a white, grey bark

Leaves: oval

It is a deciduous tree It requires acidic soil

Fruit

Uses of the plant (if there are)

Juices Wood Paper Drums Legends and traditions

Grapevine Identity card

Name: Grapevine Vite The name comes from the Latin word “Vitis vinifera”.

Habitat: temperate and dry Size: It can be 10 mt high It is a climbing tree

Leaves: “pampini” – they look like hands

It is a deciduous tree It requires loam or sandy soil

Fruit: grapes

Uses of the plant (if there are)

Wine Juices Jam and cakes Medicines

Mulberry tree Identity card

Name: Mulberry tree Gelso The name comes from the Latin word “morus”. It came from West and central China.

Habitat: temperate Size: It can be 10-15 mt high

Leaves: deciduous and oval

It is a deciduous tree The silk worms eat itds leaves

Fruit: berries

Uses of the plant (if there are)

Silk Food (jam, cakes, tarts) Medicines

ROMANIA POPLER IDENTITY CARD

THERE ARE 15 POPLERS, 200 YEARS

OLD. THEY INSPIRED OUR GREAT NATIONAL POET, MIHAI EMINESCU, IN

WRITING LOVE POEMS.

POPULUS ALBA POPLER PLOP ALB

THE POPLER LIVES NEAR WATER SOURCES. IT CAN HAVE FROM 35 TO 40 METRES.

IT IS A DECIDUOUS PLANT.

IT IS USED FOR RESTOCKING, MAKING PAPER AND WOOD SHOES.

ROMANIA LINDEN IDENTITY CARD

THE LINDEN IS OVER 250 YEARS OLD

AND IT INSPIRED OUR GREAT NATIONAL POET, MIHAI EMINESCU, IN

WRITING LOVE POEMS.

TILIA LINDEN/LIME TEI

THE LINDEN LIVES IN THE TEMPERATE CLIMATE, ON THE HILLS. IT CAN HAVE FROM 20 TO 40 METRES.

IT IS A DECIDUOUS PLANT.

THE FLOWERS ARE USED FOR TEA, AS THERAPY.

Oak Identity Card

This oak grows 200 m from our school.

It is 3 m 24 cm around its trunk.

We don’t know how old the oak is.

Name:

Latin: quercus robur

English: oak

Latvian: ozols

Kind of plant: deciduous

Leaf:

Flower:

Fruit:

National tree in Latvia

There are lots of Latvian folk songs about oak.

Here you can watch a dance about oak and the

thunderstorm dance in our National School children

dance festival 2010.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OGBCMlIhw

The song tells about golden oak with silver leaves.

‘Don’t break the top of the oak. Leave it for the

birds to sit on.’

Use:

- Furniture

- Barrels for beer

- Parquet

- Coffee from acorns (old

Latvian recipe)

- Bark is used as a herb (when

you have a stomach-ache)

Web sites:

http://www.2020site.org/trees/oak-tree.html

http://www.ambermarks.com/Rekordi/EKoki.htm -

information about oldest and biggest trees in Latvia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_robur

TREE IDENTITY CARD

Photo of the tree

Name (latin-english-mother tongue)

fraxinus

Ash

Short description including habitat/climate - dimension

Height from 20 to 30 meters. The trunk is smooth and grey; in the old trees the trunk is rough.

Leaf (photo or drawing) short description

A compound leaf. Ash typically have approximately 9-11 leaflets per leaf. The color is dark green above and light green on the reverse

Kind of plant (decidous-evergreen- fruit- wood- decoration…)

It’s deciduos; the canopy is thick and oval.

Fruit (photo if it has fruit) The seeds, popularly known as keys or helicopter seeds, are a type of fruit known as a samara

Uses of the plant (if there are)

Ash is a hardwood used for making home furniture, guitar, baseball bats…

TREE IDENTITY CARD

Photo of the tree

Name (latin-english-mother tongue) Fagus sylvatica BEECH

Short description including habitat/climate - dimension Lives to temperate Europe, Asia and North America. The roots of the tree are large and muscular, and support the large trunk, The canopy is large Usually reaches 25 meters in height It can live for hundreds of years

Leaf (photo or drawing) short description Has in an elliptical shape The margins are toothed.

Kind of plant (decidous-evergreen- fruit- wood- decoration…) It’s a deciduos tree; The trunk is smooth and gray and has small folds, resembles elephant skin. Branches in low and has very large branches Gems are sharpened, long and rosate

Fruit (photo if it has fruit) The fruit of the beech tree is known as beechnuts It is small, has triangular form and edible, provide forage for wild animals

Uses of the plant (if there are) Beeches are often cultivated as ornamental trees such as the purple beech The wood is hard and durable and is used for furniture,and windows, doors, strairs and is also used for firewood.

APPLE TREE IDENTITY CARD

Malus Apple Tree Jabłoń

The apple tree is small 1.8 to 4.6 m tall.

Blossoms are produced in spring

simultaneously with the budding of the

leaves. Flowers are white and pink. There are

five petals in each flower, which are in

clusters of 4-6. The central flower of the

inflorescence is called the "king bloom". It

opens first, and can develop a larger fruit.

Apple trees have simple leaves that are

arranged along the stem. The leaves are

bright to dark green and the margins of the

leaf are toothed.

Apple tree is a fruit tree.

The skin of ripe apples is generally red,

yellow, green or pink, although many bi- or

tri-colored varieties may be found.

Apples are used for raw consumption, in

cooked foods, for making juice, cider and

vinegar. Apples can also be used for some of

the compounds they contain as fructose and

pectin.

Poland, with an annual production of 2.5

million tons, is the first producer of apples in

Europe. Apples represent more than 80 % of

the fruits production of the country. The

main varieties are

Idared, Szampion, Jonagored, Gloster, the

Golden Delicious and Gala Royal and Must.

Besides the production sold in national

market, apples of table or apples destinated

to the production of juices and concentrates

of juice, big quantities are exported to the

countries of the European Union and Russia,

this last imports nearly half a million tons

yearly from Poland. These last years, there is

a growing request of the Polish apples by the

importers from the countries of Maghreb

such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and others

because of the lower prices comparing with

the offers from other countries of Europe.

WHY eat APPLES?

Apples are filled with soluble fiber It

cleanses and detoxifies, which helps

eliminate heavy metals, such as lead and

mercury.

Apple pectin helps reduce cholesterol

levels by lowering insulin secretion.

In two studies researchers found that

eating five apples a week lowered the risk for

respiratory diseases like asthma.

According to Chinese Medicine:

Apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst,

lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and

increase body fluids.

Apple cider vinegar can help prevent

the formation of kidney stones.

Studies indicate that eating apples

daily can reduce skin diseases.

According to a Brazilian study, eating

an apple before a meal helped women lose

33 percent more weight than those who

didn't.

An apple has only 50-80 calories and

has no fat or sodium.

Apples are packed with vitamins C, A,

and flavonoids and with smaller amounts of

phosphorus, iron and calcium.

10. Apples provide a source of potassium

which may promote heart health.