21 August 2020

Quiz: Are you a tree genius?

Take our quiz to test your tree knowledge.

By Katie Avis-Riordan

The Arboretum at Kew

Across our gardens at Kew and Wakehurst we have an incredible and unique collection of trees, from the rare and ancient to the beautiful and big. 

Think you're a tree expert? Do you know your oak from your ash? 

Have a go at these 15 fun questions all about trees and find the answers at the bottom of the page. Good luck!

1. Name the tree in the pictures below.

A. Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)

B. Common beech (Fagus sylvatica)

C. Japanese cherry (Prunus serrulata)

D. Monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana)

Close-up of autumnal leaves
Autumnal leaves © RBG Kew
Green leaves on tall tree
© RBG Kew

2. What is the tallest tree in the world?

A. English oak (Quercus robur)

B. Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana)

C. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

D. Coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Looking up at tree trunk and branches
Tree trunk © RBG Kew

3. Which plant family does the pear tree (Pyrus communis) belong to?

A. Olive (Oleaceae)

B. Rose (Rosaceae)

C. Lily (Liliaceae)

D. Poppy (Papaveraceae)

Pear tree (Pyrus communis)
Pear tree (Pyrus communis) © RBG Kew

4. What does the Latin word ‘arboretum’ mean?

A. Woodland glade

B. Ancient field

C. Group of trees near water

D. Place with trees

The Arboretum at Kew
The Arboretum © RBG Kew

5. What tree do the leaves in the picture below belong to?

A. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

B. Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao)

C. Blue spruce (Picea pungens)

D. English walnut (Juglans regia)

Autumn leaves
Autumn leaves © RBG Kew

6. Which of the following trees does NOT produce nuts?

A. Hazel

B. Hickory

C. Juniper

D. Almond

Close up of a collection of nuts
Nuts © Chuttersnap/Unsplash

7. What is the native continent of the arabica coffee tree (Coffea arabica), which produces 65% of global coffee?

A. North America

B. Asia

C. Africa

D. South America

White flowers
Flowers of Arabica coffee, Aaron Davis © RBG Kew

8. What is the common name of the tree species Fraxinus excelsior?

A. Alder

B. Black walnut

C. Rowan

D. Ash

Fraxinus excelsior tree
Fraxinus excelsior © RBG Kew

9. What is a bonsai tree?

A. A tree growing at the centre of a traditional Japanese garden

B. A large Japanese cherry tree

C. A miniature tree in a container

D. A tree pruned into a spherical shape

Japanese white pine, close up
Japanese white pine, bonsai, Ellen McHale © RBG Kew

10. Name the type of tree in the picture below.

A. Spruce

B. Elm

C. Oak

D. Magnolia

Trees against a blue sky
Trees © Bernard Thomas/Unsplash

11. What is the native region of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)?

A. Western United States

B. Brazil to Argentina

C. Central Malesia to South West Pacific

D. North Africa

Rounded, green coconut palm fruit
Coconut palm fruit, A.McRobb © RBG Kew

12. What is the age of the oldest recorded maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)?

A. 400 years old

B. 900 years old

C. 2,000 years old

D. 3,500 years old

Full maidenhair tree with yellow leaves in autumn
Maidenhair tree in autumn, Andrew McRobb © RBG Kew

13. What is the largest tree by volume growing at Kew?

A. Chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castaneifolia)

B. Red maple (Acer rubrum)

C. White willow (Salix alba)

D. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

The Arboretum at Kew Gardens
Aerial view of the Gardens © RBG Kew

14. What tree has earned the nickname 'tree of the dead'?

A. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

B. Yew (Taxus baccata)

C. London plane (Platanus x hispanica)

D. Silver birch (Betula pendula)

An aerial view of the Lake at Kew

15. What fruit does the tree Malus domestica produce?

A. Apricot

B. Apple

C. Cherry

D. Orange

Pink and white flowers of Malus domestica tree
Flowers of Malus domestica © Krzysztof Golik/Wikimedia Commons

Answers

1. Name the tree in the pictures below.

B. Common beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Explore our Natural Area with its beech trees

2. What is the tallest tree in the world?

D. Coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Read up about mighty redwoods

3. Which plant family does the pear tree (Pyrus communis) belong to?

B. Rose (Rosaceae)

Discover more about the rose family

4. What does the Latin word ‘arboretum’ mean?

D. Place with trees

Visit our Arboretum at Kew

5. What tree do the leaves in the picture below belong to?

A. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Take a look at our best autumn trees

6. Which of the following trees does NOT produce nuts?

C. Juniper

Learn about juniper and gin

7. What is the native continent of the arabica coffee tree (Coffea arabica), which produces 65% of global coffee?

C. Africa

Read up on the arabica coffee tree

8. What is the common name of the tree species Fraxinus excelsior?

D. Ash

Watch our film to see how Kew is tackling ash dieback

9. What is a bonsai tree?

C. A miniature tree in a container

Find out the secrets of our Bonsai House

10. Name the type of tree in the picture below.

A. Spruce

Read about this winter favourite

11. What is the native region of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)?

C. Central Malesia to South West Pacific

Swot up on the coconut palm

12. What is the age of the oldest recorded maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)?

D. 3,500 years old

See what else makes the maidenhair tree so special

13. What is the largest tree by volume growing at Kew?

A. Chestnut-leaved oak (Quercus castaneifolia)

Find out fun facts about our chestnut-leaved oak

14. What tree has earned the nickname 'tree of the dead'?

B. Yew (Taxus baccata)

Get knowledgeable about the yew tree

15. What fruit does the tree Malus domestica produce?

B. Apple

Delve behind the scenes of our Kitchen Garden

Your score

Add up your score out of 15 to see if you're an expert or amateur...

11 or above: You're a tree genius!

6 to 10: You have tree-mendous talent

1 to 5: Good try but leaves room for improvement

0: You're barking up the wrong tree

Let us know how you did on Kew Gardens' FacebookTwitter and Instagram, or Wakehurst's FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

Grevillea ‘Coastal Sunset’

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