grove (nature)

A grove near Radziejowice, Poland.

A grove is a small group of trees with minimal or no undergrowth, such as a sequoia grove, or a small orchard planted for the cultivation of fruits or nuts. Other words for groups of trees include '' woodland'', '' woodlot'', '' thicket'', and '' stand''. A grove may be called an 'arbour' or 'arbor' (see spelling differences), which is not to be confused with the garden structure pergola, which also sometimes goes under that name.

Name

Palm grove at Orihuela, Spain.

The main meaning of ''grove'' is a group of trees that grow close together, generally without many bushes or other plants underneath. It is an old word in the English language, with records of its use dating as far back as the late 9th century as Old English ''grāf'', ''grāfa'' ('grove; copse') and subsequently Middle English ''grove'', ''grave''; these derive from Proto-West Germanic *graib, *graibō ('branch, group of branches, thicket'), from Proto-Germanic *graibaz, *graibô ('branch, fork').

It is related to Old English ''grǣf'', ''grǣfe'' ('brushwood; thicket; copse'), Old English ''grǣfa'' ('thicket'), dialectal Norwegian ''greive'' ('ram with splayed horns'), dialectal Norwegian ''greivlar'' ('ramifications of an antler'), dialectal Norwegian ''grivla'' ('to branch, branch out'), Old Norse ''grein'' ('twig, branch, limb'), and cognate with modern English ''greave''.

Cultivation

Naturally-occurring groves are typically small, perhaps a few acres at most. In contrast, orchards, which are normally intentional planting of trees, may be small or very large, like the apple orchards in Washington state, and orange groves in Florida.

Cultural significance

Historically, groves were considered sacred in pagan, pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic cultures. Helen F. Leslie-Jacobsen argues that "we can assume that sacred groves actually existed due to repeated mentions in historiographical and ethnographical accounts. e.g. Tacitus, ''Germania''."

See also

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References

Further reading

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category:Sacred groves
category:Trees