The sour smell of pine wood. What is the smell of different types of wood? Oak - contraindications

Oak- a mighty strong tree, a symbol of courage, fire, lightning and princely power. Oak is one of the most beloved and revered trees among European peoples. Everything happened under the sacred Oaks among the Slavs major events- meetings, wedding ceremonies, courts. In sacred oak groves the oldest and most respected trees were surrounded by a fence, beyond which only priests could enter.

In prehistoric times, almost half of the forests of Europe were oak forests. The man famously dealt with this wonderful tree. First he cut down and burned the oak, freeing the land for arable land, and then chopped it for firewood and building materials. Oak, unfortunately, was excellent for both. The result is sad - Oaks have become ten times smaller (about 3% of all forests in Europe).

Oak names

There are many types of Oak in the world, but in Russia the most common Oak is common. The oak is named petiolate for its long stalks.

Where does oak grow?

Oak widespread in Western Europe and the European part of Russia. Reaches northwestern Russia to Finland. In the eastern direction, the northern limit of the distribution of the Oak gradually descends to the south, and, approaching the Ural Range, drops to 57 ° and somewhat to the south. The Urals is the eastern border of the range of English Oak.

What does an oak tree look like?

Oak is not difficult to distinguish from other trees by its mighty body.

Oak is a large, usually tree with a mighty crown and a powerful trunk. It reaches a height of 20-40 m. It can live up to 2000 years, but usually lives 300-400 years. Oak growth in height stops at the age of 100-200 years, the increase in thickness, albeit insignificant, continues throughout life.

Crown Oak dense, spreading, with thick branches.

Oak bark thick, strong, wrinkled in an adult tree, dark in color.

Oak Leaves oblong with large rounded teeth.

Leisurely dissolves Oak leaves - sometimes only by the beginning of June. And sometimes - on the second attempt, when the first leaves are eaten by caterpillars.

Oak Flowers collected in long hanging earrings 2-3 cm long.

Oak Acorns usually oblong, grow from 1.5 to 5 cm. summer acorns green color, turn yellow and fall off in autumn. To the touch, the acorns are smooth and neat, which makes them want to be collected, especially for children. Beautiful and hats from acorns. Inside the oak acorn there are 2 slices of yellowish or reddish color, bitter in taste.

acorns, fruits of Oak, sit in special "glasses" - plushies. Wild boars and domestic pigs like to feast on acorns, so already in the Middle Ages people grazed thousands of herds of pigs in oak forests. In Ivan Krylov's fable Pig under the Oak"The ungrateful pig, having eaten acorns, begins to undermine the roots of the tree, harming it. From a biological point of view, the fabulist is mistaken: by digging through the soil and destroying pests, pigs only benefited oak forests.

When does oak bloom?

Blooming Oaks usually in adulthood 40 to 60 years old, together with leafing out, usually in May.

Acorns ripen in September - October.

Important medical significance It has Oak bark, since it contains a significant amount (up to 20%) of tannins, as well as flavonoids, pectin, tannin, starch, mucus and other natural antiseptics. A decoction of the bark, due to its tannic properties, has a strong astringent and anti-inflammatory effect.

Most of all, in medicine, valued and used Oak bark especially the young one. It is used mainly as an external agent, sometimes internally, in the form of infusions, decoctions, teas.

Oak bark and leaves possess astringent, anti-inflammatory, antihelminthic, soothing, hemostatic actions.

Infusion of oak bark taken for diseases of the stomach, diarrhea, gastritis, colic, inflammation of the intestine, colitis, ulcerative colitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver disease, spleen. Warm infusion improves digestion.

Application of Oak

Oak bark decoction and leaves (1:10) are taken for kidney diseases, kidney bleeding, bloody urine, frequent urination (in small doses), inflammation of the urinary tract.

Infusion of oak leaves used for nighttime urinary incontinence (enuresis). Decoctions are also used for rinsing with inflammation of the oral mucosa, bad breath, with inflammation of the tongue, for lotions with bedsores, with frostbite of hands and feet (baths), burns, wounds, inflammation of the skin, eczema, scrofula.

With sweating feet, baths are made from a decoction of the bark (2 tablespoons per 1 glass of water, boil for 1-2 minutes, insist until cool), and crushed bark is also poured into socks for a day.

Oak acorn coffee: acorns should be peeled, boiled, drained immediately, then coarsely chopped, in pieces, and fried until browned. Allow to cool and grind in a coffee grinder into powder. Brew like coffee, or can be used as a dietary supplement. Such a drink is given to children, with diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Oak - contraindications

Should not be allowed overdose when using infusions or decoctions from Oak, as this can cause vomiting. Ingestion of preparations from oak strictly prohibited for children.

Diseases and pests of Oak

One of the most dangerous Oak diseases is an powdery mildew. On the leaves there is a characteristic white coating as if they had been doused with soapy water. disease seen in early stage, easily stopped by spraying with 1% copper sulphate solution.

This is a set of characteristics that are easy to identify without violating the integrity of the lumber and which allow you to distinguish one species from another. To the main physical properties include color, texture and the smell of wood.

What does the smell of wood mean?

Each type of wood has its own unique smell. We were not mistaken - indeed, all wood has a smell. Odorless wood also has its own smell; it is simply not captured by the human sense of smell.

The smell of wood associated with the presence of tannins, resins and essential oils in the material. The intensity and persistence of the aroma depend on their quantity.

Almost all freshly cut wood has a rich and distinct aroma, but during drying it weakens significantly or disappears altogether, for example, like teak, juniper, acacia, walnut or oak wood. The presence of a persistent odor for a long time, even after drying, not all types of wood can boast.

The smell of wood is an important physical property.

What does the smell of wood tell us:

On the belonging of lumber to a particular breed. Experienced craftsmen can accurately name the type of wood only by smell;

About the quality of wood. Wood affected by fungi or rot changes its smell, for example, the smell of pine wood when rotting, it acquires sweetish vanilla notes;

About the scope. There is wood that loses its smell after drying and no impact on the material will return it, but there is one that smells quite strongly after processing or begins to smell stronger under the influence of heat. Moreover, not everyone the smell of wood pleasant to humans, some breeds have a persistent pungent and unpleasant odor. Knowing all these nuances, you can choose the right material for yourself and avoid the discomfort associated with the smell of wood.

The core of wood has the most intense smell, it is in it that the maximum concentration of tannins and essential substances is found.

The smell of wood has not only distinctive, but also beneficial features. Together with fragrances environment substances with antiseptic and bactericidal properties are released, help to purify the air in the room. Therefore, in a house made of wood, it is so easy and free to breathe.

What is the smell of wood of different species

The smell of wood different breeds inimitable and unique. Some of them are typical and familiar to everyone, some are difficult to describe in words and compare with something.

All the smells of wood can be conditionally divided into pleasant and unpleasant. The wood of juniper, cypress, citrus trees, rosewood, acacia and peach has a pleasant, attractive smell for a person. But the wood of teak, laurel and poplar has a sharp and unpleasant odor. Coniferous wood has the most persistent smell due to the large amount of resins in the composition. The smell of pine wood is the strongest, fragrant and fresh in intensity. In second place is juniper wood, its smell also persists for a fairly long period.

As for hardwoods, they smell weaker, the intensity and persistence of the smell is affected by the amount of tannins in the wood. For example, scent of linden wood very resistant and remains even after drying and processing. The substance is responsible for the smell of linden. - phraseol, which is a lot in the structure of the tree. This smell is familiar to everyone - sweet with honey notes. Barrels for storing honey are made from linden wood.

The smell of oak wood sour, smells of tannins. Oak wood is well suited for the production of barrels for storing beer or cognac, the aroma of wood, mixed with alcohol, gives it a unique shade.

The smell of birch wood almost imperceptible to humans. Therefore, such wood is often used for the production of dishes or containers for storing cereals.

Irina Zheleznyak, Correspondent of the online publication "AtmWood. Wood-Industrial Bulletin"

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Quercus robur
Taxon: Beech family ( Fagaceae)
Other names: pedunculate oak, summer oak, english oak
English: Oak, English oak, Truffle Oak, Pedunculate Oak

Botanical description

A large, beautiful, powerful deciduous tree, reaching 40-50 m in height and 2 m in diameter, sometimes 1000 or more years old. Oak vaporizes for warm time year more than 100 tons of water, 225 times its own weight. There are about 20 species of oak in our country. The most common of them is the pedunculate oak. The root is powerful, widely branched; krone - well developed, sprawling. The bark of young shoots is smooth, slightly pubescent, olive-brown, while that of old shoots is gray-brown, in cracks. Leaves - oblong, obovate, narrowed downwards, pinnately lobed alternate, simple, short-petiolate, glabrous, dark green, shiny with protruding veins. In spring, oak blooms late, one of the last among deciduous trees.
Two forms of common oak are known - early and late. In the early oak, the leaves bloom in April and fall off for the winter, while in the late oak, they bloom two to three weeks later and remain on the young plants for the winter.
Oak blossoms in April - May, when it still has very small leaves. The flowers are unisexual, monoecious, very small and inconspicuous. Male or staminate flowers are collected in peculiar inflorescences - long and thin yellowish-greenish drooping catkins, reminiscent of hazel catkins. These earrings hang from the branches in whole bunches and are almost indistinguishable in color from young small leaves. Female or pistillate oak flowers are sessile, very tiny - no more than a pinhead. Each of them has the appearance of a barely noticeable greenish grain with a raspberry-red top. These flowers are located singly or 2-3 at the ends of special thin stems. Acorns grow from female flowers by autumn. After flowering, a small cup-shaped wrapper grows first - a plush, and then the fruit itself - an acorn. Acorns ripen at the end of September - beginning of October. Acorns do not tolerate drying out, the loss of even a small part of the water leads to their death.

Spreading

Oak grows in the forest and steppe zone Europe. In ancient times, almost half of the forests of Europe were oak forests, but now oak forests make up about 3% of all forests in Europe. Often dominant in mixed forests. On the Far East, Crimea, in the Caucasus, other types of oak grow (fluffy oak, sessile oak).
Common oak is common in the middle and southern strips of the European part of Russia to the Urals. Oak hardly tolerates cold and humid climate, while in the south it develops better.
Common oak forms frequent plantations or grows in a mixture with other species almost throughout Ukraine (in the steppe - mainly along river valleys).
Oaks are divided into summer, winter and evergreen. Of the 3 types of oak growing on the territory of Ukraine, the most common and important for the industry is the common oak (pedunculate or summer oak) Quercus robur L.

Collection and preparation of medicinal oak raw materials

As a medicinal raw material, oak bark is mainly used, which is harvested in early spring, without cork and wood. To collect the bark, only young trees cut down in logging sites and sanitary cuttings can be used. Dry it under canopies in the open air or in well-ventilated areas. IN good weather can dry in the sun. Dry bark breaks when bent, and under-dried bark bends. It is necessary to ensure that the bark does not get wet during drying, since in this case it loses a significant part of the tannins contained in it. According to the Pharmacopoeia, for non-crushed oak bark raw materials, the numerical indicators should be: tannins not less than 8%, moisture content not more than 15%, total ash not more than 8%; pieces of bark that have darkened with inside, not more than 5%, organic impurities not more than 1%, mineral impurities not more than 1%. Shelf life of raw materials is 5 years. The smell of dry bark is absent, but when infused in water and especially in hot water there is a characteristic smell characteristic of fresh bark. The taste is strongly astringent.

Biologically active substances oak

First of all, raw oak is considered as a source of tannins. The bark contains 10-20% tannins, they are also included in the chemical composition of leaves and fruits (5-8%). Tannins are a mixture of structurally similar phenolic compounds. From this group, the composition of oak bark tannins includes both a group of condensed and a group of hydrolyzed tannins.
In addition to tannins, oak bark contains organic acids (gallic, ellagic), carbohydrates, starch, pentosans (13-14%), flavonoids, quartzetin, proteins. The bark also contains: trace elements (mg / g): K - 1.40, Ca - 23.00, Mn - 0.60, Fe - 0.20; trace elements (µg/g): Mg - 142.60, Cu - 12.30, Zn - 10.20, Cr - 0.80, Al - 116.08, Ba - 537.12, V - 0.08, Se - 0.04, Ni - 1.84, Sr - 212.00, Pb - 3.04, B - 74.80. Ca, Ba, Se, Sr are concentrated.
The composition of oak fruits - acorns - includes starch, tannins and proteins, sugars, fatty oils (up to 5%). Thanks to this composition, acorns, together with chicory, are part of the mixture, which is used as a coffee substitute and has fairly high nutritional properties.
Oak leaves contain in its chemical composition tannins, quercetin, quercitrin, pentosans.
Gali formed on oak leaves contain a large number of tannins.

The use of oak in medicine

Galenic oak bark preparations have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The tannins of the plant determine the main tannic effect. When galenic oak preparations are applied to a wound or mucous membrane, interaction with proteins is observed, and a protective film is formed that protects tissues from local irritation. This slows down the inflammation process and reduces pain. Tannins denature the protoplasmic proteins of pathogenic microorganisms, which leads to a delay in their development or death.
To date, data have been accumulated on the spectrum of the resorptive action of tannins, including antispasmodic, hypotensive, antiviral and a number of other effects.
The composition of tannins includes a mixture of polyphenols, which, when interacting with oxidizing radicals, form semiquinoid radicals and radical ions, in the presence of which the intensity of peroxidation decreases, therefore, the antioxidant activity of tannins can be noted.
For tannins, anti-carcinogenic and anti-radiation activity has been established.
According to the method of use, oak bark preparations can be divided into two groups: external and internal use.
Oak preparations are used externally for:
diseases of the oral cavity (gingivitis, stomatitis, amphodontosis);
inflammation of the tonsils;
;
bleeding gums;
skin diseases(ulcers, eczema, bedsores);
washing purulent and decaying wounds;
burn treatment.
Internal preparations of oak are used for:
treatment, enteritis, colitis, dysentery, cholera;
complex therapy of diseases of the stomach;
bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract;
complex therapy of diseases of the kidneys and bladder;
poisoning with alkaloids and salts of heavy metals, as an antidote.

It should be noted that the data on the toxicological properties of tannins characterize them as practically non-toxic compounds.
Oak bark is part of various collections from medicinal plants and as part of complex medicines.
Oak bark is part of the preparations:
Dragee "Tonzilgon N", manufacturer "Bionorica AG", is used for acute chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis), prevention of complications in respiratory viral infections and as an addition to antibiotic therapy for bacterial infections;
Gel "Vitaprokt" used to treat acute and chronic;
The drug "Polyhemostat" used in surgical practice as a hemostatic drug.

The use of oak in other industries

Common oak is used as a source of wood and raw materials for the tanning industry, as a volatile, food, melliferous, fodder, ornamental and phytomeliorative plant.
For the tanning industry, oak bark at the age of 15-20 years is considered the best. Since the bark is a good tanning agent, it is used directly as a tanning material, and tanning extracts are produced from the tree.
Oak wood has a beautiful color and texture. It is dense, strong, resilient, well preserved in the air, in the ground and under water, slowly cracks and deforms, easily pricks, resistant to decay and house fungus.
The oak tree is used in shipbuilding, furniture industry, for the production of parquet, mine and hydraulic structures, for the manufacture of rims, skids, plywood, turning and carved products, parts for horse-drawn carts (holobel, wheels). The “bog oak” is especially valued - tree trunks that have lain at the bottom of lakes or for many years for many years. Such wood becomes extremely durable and has an almost black color.
Oak wood does not have a special smell; barrels for wine, beer, alcohol, vinegar, and oil are made from it.
Oak wood is an excellent fuel.
Common oak - spring honey plant. Bees collect a lot of highly nutritious pollen on it, in some years they collect nectar from female flowers. But honeydew (exudation of plant juices) and honeydew (plant juice processed by insects) often appear on oak. In places where oak occupies large areas, bees collect a lot of honeydew and honeydew, from which they produce honey unsuitable for winter eating. To avoid mass death bees during wintering such honey is pumped out.
Oak leaves contain the pigment quercetin, which, depending on the concentration, dyes wool and products from it in yellow, green, brown and black.
Oak acorns are highly nutritious food for wild animals and domestic pigs. However, cases of poisoning by acorns (especially green ones) of other domestic animals are known. Acorn flour is also suitable for human food.
Oak brooms in a Russian bath are not inferior to birch brooms, or even surpass them.
used in landscaping as an ornamental and phytoncidal plant when creating suburban groves, alleys, single plantations in parks and forest parks. Ornamental forms of common oak are known - with a pyramidal crown, in which the foliage falls 15-20 days later than in the usual one.

The smell of wood depends on the resins, essential oils, tannins and other substances in it. Coniferous species - pine, spruce - have a characteristic smell of turpentine. Oak has the smell of tannins, bakout and rosewood - vanilla. The juniper smells pleasant, so its branches are used when steaming barrels. Of great importance is the smell of wood in the manufacture of containers. When freshly cut, wood has a stronger odor than when dried. The kernel smells stronger than sapwood. By the smell of wood, individual species can be identified.

2.5. macrostructure

Macrostructure. To characterize wood, it is sometimes sufficient to determine the following indicators of the macrostructure.

The width of the annual layers is determined by the number of layers per 1 cm of the segment measured in the radial direction on the end section. The width of the annual layers affects the properties of wood. For coniferous wood, an improvement in properties is noted if there are at least 3 and no more than 25 layers in 1 cm. In deciduous ring-vascular species (oak, ash), the increase in the width of the annual rings occurs due to the late zone and, therefore, strength, density and hardness increase. For wood of deciduous scattered vascular species (birch, beech), there is no such clear dependence of properties on the width of the annual rings.

The content of late wood (in %) is determined on samples from coniferous and ring-shaped hardwoods. The higher the content of late wood, the greater its density, and hence the higher its mechanical properties.

The degree of equal layering is determined by the difference in the number of annual layers in two adjacent sections 1 cm long. This indicator is used to characterize the resonant ability of spruce and fir wood.

When processing wood with cutting tools, hollow anatomical elements (vessels) are cut and irregularities form on the surface of the wood. In such species as oak, ash, walnut, the magnitude of structural irregularities is significant. Since the wood of these species is used for finishing products, it is necessary to reduce the magnitude of these irregularities before polishing. To do this, a special operation is performed, which is called pore filling.

2.6. Wood moisture

Under the moisture content of wood is understood the ratio of the amount of moisture removed to the mass of wood in an absolutely dry state. The moisture content of wood is expressed in%.

Absolutely dry wood in small samples can be obtained by drying it in special cabinets. In nature and in production, wood always contains one or another amount of moisture. Moisture in wood impregnates cell membranes and fills cell cavities and intercellular spaces. Moisture that impregnates cell membranes is called bound or hygroscopic. Moisture that fills cell cavities and intercellular spaces is called free, or capillary. When wood dries, first free moisture evaporates from it, and then hygroscopic. When wood is moistened, moisture from the air impregnates only the cell membranes until they are completely saturated. Further moistening of wood with filling of cell cavities and intercellular spaces occurs only with direct contact of wood with water (soaking, steaming, rafting, rain).

The total amount of moisture in wood is the sum of free and bound moisture. The limiting amount of free moisture depends on how large the volume of voids in the wood that can be filled with water. The state of wood, in which the cell membranes contain the maximum amount of bound moisture, and only air is in the cell cavities, is called the hygroscopic limit. Thus, the humidity corresponding to the limit of hygroscopicity at room temperature (20°C) is 30% and practically does not depend on the rock. With a change in hygroscopic humidity, the dimensions and properties of wood change dramatically. The following levels of wood moisture content are distinguished: wet - having been in water for a long time, the humidity is above 100%; freshly cut - humidity 50-100%; air-dry - stored in the air for a long time, humidity 15-20% (depending on climatic conditions and season); room-dry - humidity 8-12% and absolutely dry - humidity 0%. The moisture content in the trunk of a growing tree varies according to the height and radius of the trunk, as well as depending on the season. The moisture content of pine sapwood is three times higher than that of the core. In hardwoods, the change in moisture along the diameter is more uniform. Along the height of the trunk, the moisture content of sapwood in conifers increases up the trunk, while the moisture content of the core does not change. In hardwoods, the moisture content of the sapwood does not change, but the moisture content of the core decreases up the trunk. In young trees, the humidity is higher and its fluctuations during the year are greater than in older trees. The greatest amount of moisture is contained in the winter period (November-February), the minimum - in the summer months (July-August). The moisture content in the trunks varies during the day: in the morning and evening, the moisture content of trees is higher than during the day.

To determine the moisture content of wood, weight and electrical methods are used. With the weight method, prismatic wood samples of 20x20x30 mm in size are cut out, cleaned of sawdust and burrs, and then immediately weighed with an error of not more than 0.01 g. Then they are placed in an oven and kept at a temperature of 103 + 2 ° C. The temperature above 105°C must not be raised to avoid the release of resin (from coniferous species) and the decomposition of wood. The first weighing of the sample is carried out, depending on the type of wood, 6 hours after the start of drying (wood samples of oak and ash after 10 hours), the second and subsequent - every 2 hours. Dry the sample to a constant weight, i.e. until with further weighings, its mass will cease to change.

The moisture content of wood W, determined by the weight method, is calculated as a percentage according to the formula

W=[(m1-m2)/m2]x100,

where m1 is the weight of the wood sample before drying, g; m2 is the mass of the same sample in an absolutely dry state, g. The advantage of the weight method is a fairly accurate determination of the moisture content of wood at any amount of moisture. Its disadvantage is the duration of drying of the samples (from 12 to 24 hours).

With the electric method, the moisture content of wood is determined by an electric moisture meter. The operation of this device is based on measuring the electrical conductivity of wood depending on changes in its moisture content. The working part of the most common electric moisture meter is needles with electrical wires connected to them. The needles of the electric moisture meter (sensor) are inserted into the wood to a depth of 8 mm and an electric current is passed through them, while the actual moisture content of the wood is immediately displayed on the dial of the device. The advantage of the electric method is the speed of determination and the ability to check the moisture content of wood of any size. Disadvantages - determination of humidity only at the point of contact between the wood and the sensor; low accuracy. In the measurement range up to 30% humidity, the error is 1-1.5%, more than 30 ± 10%.

Each tree species has its own smell. True, the smell of some trees is so weak that the human sense of smell does not feel it. The characteristic woody odors come from the resin that seeps through the bark, most often as a result of damage to the tree.

Since the kernel contains more of these substances, it has a stronger odor. In the freshly cut state, the smell of wood is stronger, when it dries, it weakens, and sometimes changes. Who does not know the characteristic turpentine smell of a carpentry workshop! Although various woods are planed and sawn in it, the smell of pine drowns out all others. Pine and some others woody plants the smell of the heartwood is very persistent and can persist long years. Oak has the smell of tannins, bakout and rosewood - vanilla. Cypress and sandalwood have a persistent aroma, juniper has a pleasant and strong smell. But raw aspen smells peculiar, and not everyone likes its heavy smell.

When choosing a material for decorative and artistic works, it is very important to remember the smell. Not every fragrance is suitable for certain products. So, many people like the refreshing pine smell, but it is unlikely to be suitable, for example, for a container designed to store food. Barrels for storing honey are usually made from linden, and barrels for wine and beer are best made from Mongolian oak, which grows in the Far East. Its wood improves the taste and aroma of drinks.

The table below shows a number of examples of a characteristic odor and how it changes depending on the condition of the wood.

exotic woods

The most celebrated resin in history is undoubtedly frankincense and myrrh. Historians say that several thousand years before our era, incense brought the inhabitants of Arabia the same wealth as their current descendants - oil wells. Incense and incense were sold in huge quantities to all countries. ancient world. The Chaldean priests burned them lavishly on the altars of Baal, the Babylonians used them for skin cleansing (instead of washing), and in Jerusalem huge storage facilities were built for them. Throughout Greece, incense was burned in honor of Zeus, and later flotillas of cargo ships regularly carried them to Rome. The Egyptians used more fragrant resins than other peoples, because they burned them during religious ceremonies, used for medicinal purposes and for embalming, as well as in a complex ritual that should provide the soul with an afterlife.

In the tropics, some trees have a wood with a very pleasant and persistent smell, which is usually generated by the essential oils that are contained in its tissues. For example, sandalwood. Thanks to him exquisite aroma This tree has been cultivated for hundreds of years. The wood of some eucalyptus and other myrtle trees has a pleasant smell, and the list goes on. Conversely, many tropical trees smell very bad. Here, for example, is a message from a Pivdenno-Rhodesian forester about a tree that, oddly enough, belongs to the Rosaceae family: “Parinaria (Parinarium curatellaefolium) smells very strongly on a hot day. I noticed this while hunting with my buddy. The deeper we went into the parinary forest, the more I got the feeling that my partner had not bathed for at least several weeks. We walked, and in my imagination these weeks turned into months and even years, until finally I realized that a person could not smell so disgusting, and I did not establish that the fetid smell was spread by trees.

A big tree Scorodocarpusborneensis, growing in Sumatra, Malaya and Borneo, has official name bawang hutan, which means "forest onion". This tree stinks of stale garlic in every part of it.

A striking example of a smelly tree is the Argentine ombu. During the day, its smell is not heard, but at night it is impossible to withstand. Apparently, the tree smells even during the day, because birds and insects bypass it around the clock. It's just that the human sense of smell is not so subtle.