Trees
"These lethal 20cm thorns cause severe puncture wounds & painful infections." The tree that's still armed against monsters last seen 12,000 years ago
The honey locust gets its name from the sweet pulp within its fruit – but apart from that, there’s nothing sweet about this thorny tree.
"The cones are as big as a rugby ball and weigh up to 40 pounds, more than heavy enough to kill…”
You don’t want to get too close to this tree – it’s not toxic, but it’s still deadly.
“An agonising way to die: it causes whole body convulsions, and the victim is painfully and horribly aware…”
Also called the Asian vomit button tree, the strychnine tree contains one of nature’s deadliest poisons, famously featured in many mystery novels.
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It spans nearly 5 acres, grows on competitors and has a habit of strangling its host
Seeds of the banyan tree are small and unlikely to survive on the ground – but it’s found a way to thrive anyway.
One of England’s oldest trees – which loomed over the Sherwood Forest for over 1,000 years – has died. Here’s why
The tree is perhaps best known for its link to Robin Hood’s story – as legend has it, him and his Merry Men used it as shelter for years.
Experts discover ‘The Heaven Sword’ after a decade searching Taiwan’s forests – and it’s taller than a 20-story building
Researchers started out on a quest to find the island's largest tree and were amazed at what they found
“Its fruits explode when ripe, firing toxic seeds in all directions at speeds of up 160mph…”
You’ll want to steer clear of this tree if its moniker ‘dynamite tree’ is anything to go by…
Jungle vs rainforest: what exactly is the difference?
Think they’re interchangeable? Think again. While they might share some of the same tropical features, the difference between a jungle and a rainforest comes down to one crucial thing – light.
“Untreated, the progression is grim: nausea and vomiting give way to cardiac arrest. Death can come within an hour.”
It bears white flowers and green fruit – but hidden inside its seeds is a potent cardiac poison called cerberin.
This may be the most photographed tree on the planet. Here's how it got so famous
The Wānaka Tree, rising from the shallow waters of Lake Wānaka in New Zealand, is a must-photograph for many nature-lovers. But why?
“It’s like being electrocuted and set on fire at the same time…” Discover one of the world's most dangerous trees
This tree is considered one of the world’s most venomous plants, and its painful effects can last for years.
"It drops large cones that weigh 40 pounds apiece – more than heavy enough to kill a passer-by..." 8 most dangerous trees on the planet
From tropical terrors to coniferous killers – here are some tree species you might want to avoid the next time you’re walking in the woods.
Which species are named after Sir David Attenborough? And how many of them are there?
Sir David Attenborough has over 50 species named after him, ranging from a prehistoric marine reptile to a native British flower only found in the Brecon Beacons of South Wales.
It rains poison, blinds on contact – and its fruit could kill: Inside the ‘Tree of Death'
"The ghostly trunks of a vast forest, submerged for tens of thousands of years, rose out of the sediment. These mighty trees had lived for hundreds of years before their watery grave"
The mystery of 60,000-year-old trees that still smell like fresh incense
"It explodes with a loud bang, flinging toxic seeds at speeds of up to 150MPH." 8 weirdest, wackiest trees on the planet, including one that walks...
Meet some of the weirdest and oddest trees on the planet
Scientists looked beneath one of oldest trees on Earth. What they found is astounding
The researchers discovered a hidden world of life among the roots of Chile's ancient alerce trees. Here's why that's important.
It’s taller than Big Ben, can live for thousands of years and even regenerates after an entire forest burns down
Did you know the tallest tree species in the world can grow to more than 100 metres? Learn all about them
Does a tree know it's being eaten?
Can a tree protect itself if being eaten?
It’s older than the Roman Empire, taller than the Statue of Liberty and as heavy as 7 blue whales
Meet the General Sherman tree – the largest tree on the planet.
It weighs up to a whopping 30kg, has a diameter of 50cm and is the biggest seed on the planet
BBC Wildlife section editor Sarah McPherson answers your wild question.
10 epic photos of the most monumental trees on Earth
Astonishing images of some of the world's largest trees, from towering giant sequoias and coastal redwoods to colossal cedars and statuesque baobabs.
Scientists are desperately trying to resurrect Australia’s ‘zombie tree’
Researchers say they are in a race against time to save the tree from a deadly fungal disease.
What can tree rings tell us, apart from a tree's age?
Naturalist and author Amy-Jane Beer sheds light on what tree rings can tell us.
