There’s no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically)
Report a link problem
Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderHumans care about wood, so they made tree (thing which produces wood) a category, as it can be used to build bridges, ships and other structures. Wood being dense also made it a better feedstock for charcoal (one can use grass, however). As far as why trees don't seem to evolve into grasses, (or grasses into trees), it might be all about C3 vs C4 carbon metabolism, the latter being a complex structural system that pre-concentrates atmospheric CO2 before feeding…
I've been looking into plants recently and they are mind-blowing. I don't even know where to start. In re: TFA, most annuals that we use for crops have perennial versions. I just planted a "thicket bean" (Phaseolus polystachios) which should grow for years! There are perennial kales that grow into small tree-like "canes". There's a thing called a "strawberry tree" that is exactly what it sounds like: a tree that grows strawberry-like fruit. It goes on and on. One take-away…
A hacker news favorite: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35081277 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29621646
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 3
- Total points
- 623
- Total comments
- 459
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-05-03 | There's no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically) | l1n | 3 | 0 |
| 2021-05-09 | There’s no such thing as a tree, phylogeneticallyFirst breakout | rbanffy | 264 | 207 |
| 2023-02-27 | There’s no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically) (2021) | panic | 2 | 0 |
| 2023-03-09 | There’s no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically)Best thread | dynm | 304 | 194 |
| 2024-07-26 | There's no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically) | addaon | 3 | 0 |
| 2025-06-30 | There's no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically) (2021)Hall induction · Latest 20+ point return | afunk | 47 | 58 |