mangrove trees, tropical oceans


bark


rainbow eucalyptus, Indonesia


Not All Alike


All trees have the same structures, like bark, roots, and trunks. But these can be very diff erent, depending on where the tree is and what its environment is like.


roots


Rainbow Bark


A tree’s bark acts like a shield against weather and insects. It can be dark and craggy or pale and papery. In the case of the rainbow eucalyptus, it looks like someone painted it with a brush. T e tree has layers of very thin bark that


shed year round. Papery, brown bark peels away to reveal shades of bright green. Over time, the sun and the air turn the green bark purple, blue, orange, pink, red, and yellow. T e bark turns brown just before it sheds again. Because it sheds at diff erent times, the


bark of this tree is a living rainbow. It is also a good defense, sending signals to insects and other animals that it is poisonous.


16 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER Snorkel Roots


Twice a day, ocean tides rise. T ey cover the roots of mangrove trees living along the shore. T ese trees are tough. Waves batter them, but they stand tall. T eir roots help them live where most plants could not. Saltwater kills most trees. However, a


mangrove has special roots. T ey filter out the salt in the water they live in. T ese roots arch high over the water and anchor deep into the muddy soils. Pencil-shaped tubes grow straight up from the roots and reach above the water when the tides rise. T ey act as snorkels and pull air in.


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