Fascinating Nature
Pando Tree
One tree that looks like a whole forest? That is the Pando! Let's discover more of its secrets, and meet a mighty tree from India too.
Did you know?
Pando has about 47,000 stems. Count one stem every second, and you would need about 13 hours!
Pando weighs about 6,000 tonnes. Many scientists think it is the heaviest living thing on Earth!
Aspen leaves have flat stalks, like thin ribbons. So even a soft breeze makes them twist and flutter.
Try this: The Leaf Stalk Test
Do this with an adult
With an adult, collect three fallen leaves from different trees. Roll each leaf stalk between your fingers. Is it round or flat? Now hold each leaf by its stalk. Blow on it gently. Which leaf wobbles the most? Draw your three leaves. Write 'round' or 'flat' next to each one.
Go further: India's Giant Banyan
Andhra Pradesh has a giant tree too! Thimmamma Marrimanu is a banyan tree about 25 km from the town of Kadiri. Its branches drop roots that grow into new trunks. So one tree spreads out like a forest, a bit like Pando. Its shade covers about 19,000 square metres. In 1989, Guinness World Records named it the world's largest banyan tree.