h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks, Vip.

I've gone through those and hope the following changes will address the concerns.

Chestnut-leaved oak:Water Lily House - Palm House - Capitalised on the Kew website .

Holm oak: >>with many new trees having been planted<< - with many new holm oaks having been planted

Turner's oak: >>the tree was completely uprooted, exposing its entire root system, but was replanted in situ, which appeared to revive it.<<
the tree was completely uprooted causing its entire root system to be exposed. This may have caused the tree to start drying out, but once it was righted and replanted in situ, it revived and is now in good health.
>>If it can only be propagated by grafting, how does it normally reproduce? Or is that because it's a cross so is infertile (or something)?<<
Unfortunately I can't identify this link, but with most plant crosses, the offspring are not a genetic match, whereas with grafting they are.

Sweet chestnut: Lanceolate A leaf shaped like a lance, being tapered to a point at each end.

Stone pine: Important footnote: Please Note: H2G2 is not a definitive medical resource. If you have any health concerns you must always seek advice from your local GP. You can also visit NHS Direct or BBC Health Conditions.
Embrocation a liquid rubbed on the body to relieve pains or sprains.
False acacia: As legume is mentioned in the form of the Family, it should be capitalised, so correctly: >>Fabaceae or Legume A plant which has bacteria living in nodules on the roots. These are able to extract nitrogen from the soil, that is inaccessible to plants and convert it into useable compounds.

Maidenhair tree: >>The maidenhair tree, also well known by its scientific name of Ginkgo biloba, is an 'Old Lion' of Kew Gardens: planted in 1762, it is a survivor of the original arboretum. At that time it was uncertain how hardy it was and so it was planted next to the wall of the great stove glasshouse, now long since gone. It is a male tree, and is a true Lion.<<

The Maidenhair tree, also well known by its scientific name of Ginkgo biloba, is an 'Old Lion' of Kew Gardens: planted in 1762 AND is a survivor of the original arboretum. At that time it was uncertain how hardy it was and so it was planted next to the wall of the great stove glasshouse, now long since gone. The Kew tree is a male plant as the tree is monoecious. Monoecious relates to a plant having separate male and female reproductive organs, normally on the same plant, but in this case they are to be found on separate plants.

Pagoda tree: >>There are actually two species of Pagoda Tree, and they look identical. Kew's Pagoda Tree was originally classified as Sophora japonica, within the same family, the Fabaceae or legumes. A feature of legumes is that they have 'rhizobia', nitrogen-fixing2 nodules, on their roots. It was noticed that some Pagoda trees do not have functioning rhizobia and do not fix nitrogen. The Pagoda trees have thus been separated into two distinct species within the legume family: Sophora japonica, as a nitrogen fixer, and Styphnolobium japonicum, a non-nitrogen fixer. The Kew specimen is a member of the latter species.<<
There are actually two species of Pagoda Tree, and they APPEAR identical. Kew's Pagoda Tree was originally classified as Sophora japonica in the Fabaceae or LegumeA plant which has bacteria living in nodules on the roots. These are able to extract nitrogen from the soil, that is inaccessible to plants and convert it into useable compounds. family. HOWEVER it was noticed that some Pagoda trees do not have functioning rhizobia and do not fix nitrogen. The Pagoda trees WERE THEN separated into two distinct species within the Legume family: Sophora japonica, as a nitrogen fixer, and Styphnolobium japonicum, a non-nitrogen fixer. The Kew specimen is a member of the latter species.
>>The leaves are pinnateThe leaves resemble feathers arranged on each side of a common stem.</FOOTNOTE, with anything from 9 to 21 leaflets, with pendulous flowers.<<

Also as previously: Important footnote: Please Note: H2G2 is not a definitive medical resource. If you have any health concerns you must always seek advice from your local GP. You can also visit NHS Direct or BBC Health Conditions.

I hope that helps makes the entries easier to read.

MMF

As regards capitalising each entry.

I didn't as usually with plants, only the definitive is capitalised, unless it refers to a name, so English oak, Chestnut-leaved oak (this one may need oak amending) etc. However if the correct way of writinh entries is to capitalise, then please amend accordingly.

MMF

I'll capitalise all except for the Latin species-specific name, which is always lowercase.

Thanks Gnomon. I was not sure of etiquette. It's why I'm not a sub-ed.

Hope the rest makes sense.

MMF

Personally I don't like putting medical warnings on entries. I only left the one on the Ginkgo entry because that one is an update and I wasn't brave enough to remove it.

That's fine by me. The other two are not truly medical points anyway.

MMF

Posting 6:

Who reckoned the English oak bark was good for all these ailments? -- I've changed it to:
"If folklore is to be believed, the bark is good to relieve diarrhoea..."

Sweet Chestnut: (oblong-lanceolate toothed leaves as Alan Titchmarsh would call them)
-->
(oblong-lanceolate toothed leaves, as Tony Kirkham, Head of Kew's Arboretum, would call them)

Posting 9:

a couple of hundred -- done
bought down -- done
this honorific -- done

Posting 10:

the acorns are smaller - done
London also suffers - done

Posting 11:

RBGK -- done
wagenschot - I've mentioned it is Middle Low German.
As a footnote --> As a point of interest
on February -- done

Posting 20:

capitalisation of titles - I've capitalised all the words except the Latin ones which are never capitalised
The leaves are pinnate -
Capitalisation of Legume
Footnote explaining Legume added to False Acacia.
Embrocation - footnote definition added
Lanceolate - footnote definition added
Turner's Oak uprooting - new sentence provided by MMF added.
Has the Vista been planted with more Holm oaks or more trees in general? - changed to 'more holm oaks'
water-lily house --> Water Lily House

Grafting - no answer to this question

a true lion - I don't accept your correction, MMF.
"planted in 1762, it is a survivor" -- is grammatically correct.
"planted in 1762, and is a survivor" is grammatically incorrect.
Your definition of monoecious is incorrect - the Ginkgo is not monoecious.

What did you mean when you said it was a true lion?

I'm not 100% happy with your rewording of the paragraph about Pagoda trees, so I'll leave that for now and sort it out tomorrow.

Are you certain the tree needs to be grafted? As opposed to growing clones from cuttings? Grafting is a technique whereby a small cutting (twig) is fused onto the rootstock of a similar, often more vigorous species. Apple and fruit trees are commonly grown this way. Just think of the mountains of Red Delicious, all absolutely identical.

If the tree in question is a cross then any seed it produces will grow into variable types of offspring. To grow identical new trees you need to take cuttings - either grown on their own roots or grafted onto similar roots.

Maybe a footnote to explain what a graft is, is required?

MMF, I made the change about the Turner's Oak being uprooted as you requested, but then I found this on the Kew website:

In the great hurricane[sic], on 16 October 1987, the whole root plate lifted and settled back in the ground. This appeared to rejuvenate it, as it was showing signs of stress and decline due to compaction of the root plate from the many people who take shelter under the broad evergreen crown. This was one of the factors that initiated the present day proactive decompaction programme for mature trees in the arboretum.

This seems to contradict the description you gave.

It fits better with the initial version of the text, I think, and explains why they are injecting nitrogen to the roots and what have you as you then go on to describe.

Here's a summary of all the points so far:

Photos to be supplied by MMF.

Pagoda Tree:

Wording of the reclassification section needs to be sorted (see postings 20, 21, 27).

Maidenhair Tree:

The meaning of "It is a true lion" needs to be clarified. Is it because the tree is male and is therefore not a lioness? (see postings 20, 21, 27)

Turner's Oak:

issue of uprooting (see postings 20, 21, 29, 30) - MMF's rewording appears to be further from the truth than his original.

issue of grafting (see postings 20, 21, 28) - why does it need to be propagated by grafting? This is such an odd claim that doubt has been expressed about it.

Opinions welcome on all these and any other issues!

I'll have a look later, Gnomon, as I am off out now. I'll see what I can do to sort out the problems.



MMF

I've reworded the paragraph on the reclassification of the Pagoda Tree.

I'm sticking to the fact that the rhizobia get the nitrogen from the atmosphere, rather than the soil, even though they are underground.
This is what I was taught and Wikipedia agrees. I presume that there is a certain amount of air mixed in with any good soil.

If you can find evidence to say that the nitrogen is in some way bound up in the soil, then I'll change it.

The reason I mentioned soil rather than air is because the nodules are below ground and I never had it explained how the nitrogen reached the nodules, when I studied ATP, via the nitrogen and Krebs cycle.

However:http://seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/almanac/october/octobermngg

'The bacteria take gaseous nitrogen from the air in the soil and feed this nitrogen to the legumes; in exchange the plant provides carbohydrates to the bacteria.'

So I'll concur. Still confused, though, 33 years on!

As for Turner's Oak and grafting, that came from here under garden origin:
http://oaks.of.the.world.free.fr/quercus_turneri.htm

The tree was completely uprooted causing its entire root system to be exposed. The tree may have been affected due to the surrounding area having, over time, become compacted and causing stress. Once it was righted and replanted in situ, it revived and is now in good health. Kew is now actively using nitrogen gas to de-compact and aerate the root areas, as well as regular mulching from Britain's largest compost heap situated adjacent to the Pinetum (where it can be viewed from a special viewing platform) and injecting a 'soup' of mycorrhizal bacteria and fungi.

Maidenhair Tree: The meaning of "It is a true lion" needs to be clarified.
Should read: This remarkable tree is known as a 'living fossil' from 'about this species: http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Ginkgo-biloba.htm

Hope that helps. Any others I've missed



MMF

A further aside, or footnote:

Turner's Oak: mulching from Britain's largest compost This researcher has been informed that the horse dung from the Metropolitan Police (mounted division) and the King's Troop cavalry, Wellington Barracks is transported to Kew to be added to the heap. heap

MMF

I've changed both "from the soil", in False Acacia, and "from the atmosphere", in the Pagoda Tree, to "from the air in the soil".

I would agree with that. Plants can actually drown in waterlogged soil, because their roots still need oxygen etc from the air. (apart from water plants that is) - so the same would apply to overly compacted soils.

I'm happy to accept that the tree can only be propagated by grafting, although I don't know why it should be. If anyone feels strongly about this, let me know.

grafting as opposed to taking cuttings you mean? I am happy enough to let it stand as it is - it*s a rather pedantic distinction that I don*t think many people will be that interested in.

MMF, your suggestion in posting 34 about the uprooting of the tree suggests that the tree was replanted by the Kew gardeners and has been recovering ever since. In fact, it was lifted up and dropped onto the same spot by the storm, and immediately showed signs of improving health, as described in posting 29.