How the biggest trees survive droughts
Science & technology | Tall order
Being tall would be a disadvantage, if not for some clever engineering
Jul 8th 2026|4 min read
TOWERING OVER 100 metres above the forest floor, the dipterocarp—named after its winged seeds, which spiral away in the wind—is the tallest tropical tree in the world. For a plant, being tall is an advantage: if your neighbours cannot overshadow you, that leaves you with the lion’s share of the sunlight.
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