Root and branch

Picture the root system of a tree, then turn to page 73 of Peter Thomas’s
Trees: Their Natural History. Ten to one you got it wrong. That should
launch you into more discoveries about trees as working systems, elegantly
evolved to deal with ever-changing conditions. Never less than interesting, it
is written in non-technical language that is consistently illuminating, if not
particularly stylish. Published by Cambridge University Press, £47.50,
ISBN 0521453518.