Se regaseste in mai toate marile religii ale lumii, in stiinta, fictiune, arte decorative.
Mai jos doar citeva repere. Restul,
aici
India
Flora in general play a central role in the Indian culture, which has largely a vegetarian tradition. The symbolism of the tree is mentioned in the 135th hymn of the 10th book of
Rig-Veda, and in the 15th chapter of
Bhagavad-gita (1–4).
Two varieties of the
fig (called Ashvatta in
Sanskrit), the
banyan tree and the
peepal tree are the most revered in the Indian tradition, and both are considered the trees of life. The banyan symbolizes fertility according to the
Agni Purana and is worshipped by those wanting children. It is also referred to as the tree of immortality in many
Hindu scriptures. The banyan is believed to have nourished mankind with its ‘milk’ before the advent of grain and other food.
The fig tree is either a player or an observer in several scriptural incidents of
Hinduism. The sages and seers sit under the shade of the fig tree to seek enlightenment, hold discourses and conduct Vedic rituals. The
Bodhi tree under which Gautama
Buddha achieved enlightenment is a peepal tree.
The fig tree assumes special importance in the Indian tradition owing mainly to its 'two-way growth' (aerial 'roots' growing downwards).
Ancient Egypt
In
Egyptian mythology, in the
Ennead system of
Heliopolis, the first couple, apart from
Shu &
Tefnut (moisture & dryness) and
Geb &
Nuit (earth & sky), are
Isis &
Osiris. They were said to have emerged from the
acacia tree of
Saosis, which the Egyptians considered the tree of life, referring to it as the "tree in which life and death are enclosed". A much later myth relates how
Set killed
Osiris, putting him in a coffin, and throwing it into the
Nile, the coffin becoming embedded in the base of a
tamarisk tree.
The Egyptian's Holy
Sycamore also stood on the threshold of life and death, connecting the two worlds.
Science
The
tree of life in science describes the relationships of all
life on Earth in an
evolutionary context.
Charles Darwin talks about envisioning evolution and ecosystems as a "tangled bank" in
On the Origin of Species; however, the book's sole illustration is of a branched diagram that is very tree-like. See
evolutionary tree and
phylogenetic tree. The evolutionary relationships of the tree of life were refined using genetic data by the great American microbiologist
Carl Woese, the discoverer of the domain
Archaea and a pioneer in molecular (genetic) methods in evolutionary biology.