The author, Becky Dill, an amateur naturalist, photographer and Paw barista.
In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, I walked along a Polkton dirt road to look for some of my favorite trees, called “marriage trees” or “husband and wife trees.” These are trees that have permanently and rather magically joined together. The photo shows the first “marriage tree” I found; these are two young oak trees, forever united.
The scientific term for this interesting way of growing is called inosculation, and it works this way: Outer bark is relatively thin on young trees. There’s an active growth layer under the bark called cambium. When the trunks or branches of two trees rub against each other in the weather, the bark can rub off and the two cambium layers can touch. As the two trees heal from the bark injury, the cambium from one tree can graft with the cambium of the other tree. New bark grows around the joined area, and the trees are now joined for life. The name “marriage tree” makes sense, doesn’t it?
I found another “husband and wife tree” at the edge of the woods next to my backyard. These are large, mature red maples. As you may have noticed, these inosculating trees are usually two of the same kind.
These “husband and wife trees” are a relatively rare phenomena, but now that you know, you can learn to look at trees a little differently. Let me know if you find any marriage trees, OK? I would love to see your pictures.