[HPforGrownups] Re: "Old and Valuable" Whomping Willow - Info

[Metylda]

No: HPFGUIDX 109768


--- Josh Warren <wjwarren4269 at comcast.net> wrote:

> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Brenda M." 
> <Agent_Maxine_is at h...> wrote:
> > Apologies for lack of exact quotation, but when
> Snape is lecturing 
> > them about damaging the Whomping Willow, he
> describes it as "old 
> and 
> > valuable".  Also Harry's description has it
> "ancient tree".
> > 
> > But why?
> > 
> > We know it was planted the year Lupin came to
> Hogwarts.  So that 
> will 
> > be about 24-25 years ago.  It must have come from
> somewhere else -- 
> I 
> > suppose that's a common sense, tree of that
> magnitude will take 
> quite 
> > a long time to grow.  So how old of trees are
> thought to 
> > be 'ancient'?  Any botanist?
> >

bamf:
*waves hand*
Will you settle for a horticulture student? 

Willows: (Salix, genus) very few willows have the
common 'weeping' shape (most notably demonstrated by
Salix alba 'Tristis').  Some are very stiff in form,
some are only a few feet high .  They love water, and
their have often been known to get into pipes. 

Willows are fast growing trees, growing 1-1.5 feet per
growing season.  If it's going to be transplanted and
used right away (non-magically growth enhanced), my
guess would be it's about a 10 year old tree at
planting.  That would make it about 18 feet at the
time of planting, and strong enough to endure
students. (And expensive, to boot!)

Granted, being a fast growing tree mean not being
long-lived, generally.  A 50 year old willow is a
long-lived tree.  Not to say that they don't live
longer than that, but they are usually blown over or
usually are taken out by disease or bugs.   What is
considered 'old' depends on each type of tree you are
talking about. A hard wood tree (oak) is much longer
lived than a 'soft wood' tree (willow, poplars).

My guess would be that the whomping willow is probably
40 years old. It's hard to say, though. 

As for valuable, we don't know how rare they are in
the WW.  If it's rare, than it's going to be valuable,
more than just to guard the enterance to the SShack. 

Sorry about lecture mode. ;) If you have any more
questions, let me know!

bamf, a 'budding' horticulturalist

=====
"Why, you speak treason!" -Maid Marian
"Fluently!" -Robin Hood
-The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Cub fans are not normal.


		
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