'Lives of the Trees': Lore and legend from on high

"Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History"

Diana Wells

Algonquin, 2010, $19.95

What it is: A compendium, from acacia to yew, of uncommon tree tales — enough esoterica and darn-good yarns to chew on for quite some time. You'll learn all sorts of delectable lore and legend, history and science, behind 100 species of trees, including some wholly unfamiliar (the handkerchief tree, the golden rain tree or the Welwitschia, a curious African desert tree whose trunk is nearly entirely buried underground). Wells, author of the best-selling "100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names," has proved her knack for digging up the quirky, and here she is deeply rooted in her latest subject.

What makes it armchair-worthy: Oh, the wonders you will tuck in every nook and cranny of your noggin. Did you know, for instance, that boxwood has funereal roots? The poet William Wordsworth wrote of the long-ago custom of leaving a basin of boxwood sprigs at the church door, so those attending a funeral might grab one and toss it into the grave. Some say boxwood "smells of death."

The olive tree, on the other hand, is all about resurrection. The darn things refuse to die, even if cut down. No wonder some olive trees are thought to be more than 1,000 years old.

One fine line: "Because they are larger and older than we can ever hope to be, because they give shade, wood, food, and shelter, and because they stretch from earth to heaven, trees have been our gods since before recorded time."