Tree is the largest of all plants. The tallest trees grow higher than 30-story buildings. Many trees also live longer than other plants. Some trees live for thousands of years. They are the oldest known living things.

People do not think of trees the way they think of other plants, most of which grow only a short time and then die. People think of trees as permanent parts of the landscape. Year after year, large, old trees shade houses and streets from the sun. Their buds and flowers are a sign of spring each year, and their colorful leaves brighten in autumn in many areas.

Trees continue to grow as long as they live. A tree's leaves make food that keeps the tree alive and helps it grow.

For example, no plant with a soft, juicy stem is a tree. Most of these plants, called herbs, are much shorter than most trees. Shrubs, like trees, have woody stems. But most shrubs have more than one stem, and none of the stems grows so thick or so tall as a tree trunk. Some jungle vines grow more than 200 feet (61 meters) long and have a woody stem. But the stems of most vines cannot support themselves.

There are thousands of kinds of trees. But most trees belong to one of two main groups-the broadleaf trees and the needleleaf trees. These two types of trees grow in Europe, North America, and many other parts of the world. Most other types of trees, such as palms and tree ferns, grow mainly in warm regions.

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