# Heliotropism and wind and symmetry

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 16, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008 "2006-05-16T18:18:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008/1 "2006-05-16T18:18:21Z")

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In my yard, most of the flowers tend to lean in the direction from which the sun isn’t blocked by the house, i.e. they lean away from the house (there aren’t any on the north side). But the trees, regardless of their location, seem to grow more or less symmetrically. Out in the wild, trees like pines or firs all have a radially symmetrical shape, though it seems they should lean more-or-less southward.

And then there’s wind. In many locations the wind tends to come from one general direction more than others, so why don’t trees grow leaning away from the wind? (If travel brochures are any indication, this only happens on Aruba.)

So what gives?

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**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008/2 "2006-05-16T18:50:26Z")

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Trees are different from flowers in that they don’t rely as much on heliotropism. They rely more on [gravitropism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitropism)  
As for wind, I know that the pines and firs that grow nearest the river in the very windy Columbia River Gorge only have branches on the leeward side, that is, West.

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**Author:** ![marginal\_prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@marginal\_prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marginal_prophet)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008/3 "2006-05-17T00:53:41Z")

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Trees in Monterrey (e.g., the pines on the Pebble Beach golf course) tilt very dramatically.  
At first, it was assumed that the steady on-shore winds caused the tilt.  
But now it’s been shown that the salt air deposits salt crystals more on the ocean side, stunting those buds.

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**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heliotropism-and-wind-and-symmetry/357008/4 "2006-05-17T13:54:23Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> And then there’s wind. In many locations the wind tends to come from one general direction more than others, so why don’t trees grow leaning away from the wind? (If travel brochures are any indication, this only happens on Aruba.)

Newfoundland is famous for its tuckamore trees. A low scrub tree growing along the shores of the atlantic which always leans in the direction of the prevailing winds blowing onshore. Growth on the side of the tree nearest the ocean is always stunted from the salt exposure.

[Photo](http://www.cs.mun.ca/~kuo/Pictures/GrosMorneWinky/101_0117.JPG) and [Modestly stylized painting](http://www.trafnet.com/sorensen/tuckamore_small.jpg).