Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum

Tree Champions: High Jump

Posted: May 31, 2012 at 13:44 pm Author: Westonbirt's learning and participation team

From 6 - 8 June, Westonbirt's learning and participation team will be hosting the Tree Champions family event. The event will include a trail around some of our own Olympic champions - our trees and shrubs - as well as some great Olympic-themed craft activities with a woody twist! Here, the team reveal some of the Tree Champion facts you can discover at Westonbirt…

Sapphire Dragon Tree

Paulownia tomentosa

The sapphire dragon tree is one of the fastest growing trees in the world. It can grow 10cm high in one week and reach a height of 6m in its first year!

Trees make their own food (and oxygen) through a process called photosynthesis and growing this fast requires a lot of food. As a result this tree produces 3-4 times more oxygen during photosynthesis than any other known species of tree.

It is named for its sapphire flowers with yellow centres that bloom for up to six weeks in spring.

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