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On oblique growth of trees under the action of winds

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Abstract

It is shown that an inclined regular growth of tree trunks under the action of prevailing winds may be explained as a response of the plant to the mechanical action of the wind, in conformity with the Schwendener theory of shape of plants based on the concept of maximum strength. A possible mechanism of such response is suggested. The condition of maximum strength determines the inclination of the tree trunk on the basis of purely mechanical considerations. A numerical example computed for a palm agrees with observational data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    I. Opatowski

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  1. I. Opatowski
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Opatowski, I. On oblique growth of trees under the action of winds. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 8, 41–49 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02478460

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