Jacqueline Paterson - A Tree in Your Pocket

COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT 1. THE ENGLISH YEW 2. THE HOLLY 3. THE PINE 4. THE HAZEL 5. THE BLACKTHORN 6. THE SILVER BIRCH 7. THE APPLE TREE 8. THE HAWTHORN TREE 9. THE ASH TREE 10. THE OAK TREE 11. THE ENGLISH ELM 12. THE BEECH TREE 13. THE ROWAN TREE 14. THE ALDER 15. THE WILLOW TREE 16. THE ELDER TREE 17. THE POPLAR TREES CONCLUSION ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Thorsons

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by Thorsons 1998

Copyright © Jacqueline Memory Paterson

Jacqueline Memory Paterson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780722537787

Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2017 ISBN: 9780008240462

Version: 2017-01-13

And do you remember what secrets the trees told us as we lay under their shady branches on the hot midsummer days, while the leaves danced and flickered against the blue, blue sky? Can you tell what was the charm that held us like a dream in the falling dusk, as we watched their heavy masses grow dark against the silvery twilight sky?

C. E. Smith, Trees

CONTENTS

COVER

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT COPYRIGHT 1. THE ENGLISH YEW 2. THE HOLLY 3. THE PINE 4. THE HAZEL 5. THE BLACKTHORN 6. THE SILVER BIRCH 7. THE APPLE TREE 8. THE HAWTHORN TREE 9. THE ASH TREE 10. THE OAK TREE 11. THE ENGLISH ELM 12. THE BEECH TREE 13. THE ROWAN TREE 14. THE ALDER 15. THE WILLOW TREE 16. THE ELDER TREE 17. THE POPLAR TREES CONCLUSION ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Thorsons An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by Thorsons 1998 Copyright © Jacqueline Memory Paterson Jacqueline Memory Paterson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication Source ISBN: 9780722537787 Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2017 ISBN: 9780008240462 Version: 2017-01-13

1. THE ENGLISH YEW

2. THE HOLLY

3. THE PINE

4. THE HAZEL

5. THE BLACKTHORN

6. THE SILVER BIRCH

7. THE APPLE TREE

8. THE HAWTHORN TREE

9. THE ASH TREE

10. THE OAK TREE

11. THE ENGLISH ELM

12. THE BEECH TREE

13. THE ROWAN TREE

14. THE ALDER

15. THE WILLOW TREE

16. THE ELDER TREE

17. THE POPLAR TREES

CONCLUSION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

THE ENGLISH YEW 1. THE ENGLISH YEW 2. THE HOLLY 3. THE PINE 4. THE HAZEL 5. THE BLACKTHORN 6. THE SILVER BIRCH 7. THE APPLE TREE 8. THE HAWTHORN TREE 9. THE ASH TREE 10. THE OAK TREE 11. THE ENGLISH ELM 12. THE BEECH TREE 13. THE ROWAN TREE 14. THE ALDER 15. THE WILLOW TREE 16. THE ELDER TREE 17. THE POPLAR TREES CONCLUSION ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

IRISH/GAELIC	Ioho
OGHAM
RUNIC
RULING PLANET	Saturn
ABILITIES	Guardian to the Door of Rebirth. Rest after the struggle of life. Divination. Dowsing. Bows. To do with the element of Earth.
SEASON	Winter
YEW	Taxus baccata. Evergreen. POISONOUS.

The yew tree helped form the great primeval conifer forests which dominated the earth long before the advent of broadleaved trees. It lives for over 1,000 years and it is thought that many living yews pre-date Christ by many thousands of years. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is claimed to be up to 9,000 years old. Many yews are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and one of the oldest weapons found is a crude yew spear from the Old Stone Age.

The yew gains its capacity for great age from its particular growth of shoots or branches, which root into the ground and grow to form new trunks. These then join the main trunk and become part of it, which gives yews huge fluted girths. It takes 150 years for the main trunk to form and then the yew continues its growth widthways. In old age it continues to grow, even with a completely hollow trunk. This has given yew a reputation for immortality and has made it a symbol of life after death. The yew is common in churchyards and in undisturbed country areas examples are still found of ancient yew avenues.

Unlike other conifers, the yew produces no cones. It is known to be deadly, for its leaves and fresh seeds contain a poison called Taxin.

Because the seed-making process of the yew is dependent upon the wind, it produces extraordinary amounts of pollen, which when released can cover large areas with its yellow dust. On warm spring days the air is filled with its golden shimmer.

CUSTOM & LEGEND

An old folk-tale tells why yews are ‘dressed’ so darkly. When the yew was a young species, in times when there were few people, it thought that all other trees were more beautiful, for their colourful leaves could flutter in the wind, unlike its stiff needles. The tree pined, thinking that the faeries had deliberately made it unattractive. Yet the faeries wanted to please the yew, and one sunny morning it found its needles had changed to leaves of gold and its heart danced with joy. But robbers came and stripped the tree bare, leaving it confused and sad. The faeries then gave it leaves of purest crystal and the yew loved its sparkle, but a storm of hail fell and the crystals shattered. Then it was given broad leaves and it waved them in the air, only for them to be eaten by goats. At this the yew gave up, for it realized that its original dress was the best, for it was of permanence, of long ages and deep knowledge, and in this the tree found comfort.