Ways to use this list
- Leaf and seed hunt: spin a tree, then look for its leaves or seeds on a walk; acorns, conkers and sycamore helicopters each score a point.
- Tree of the week: pin a bark rubbing, a leaf and one fact about the spun tree to the nature table, and add a new tree each Monday.
- Fantasy map-making: spin a tree for each forest on your map, from a baobab plain to a grove of monkey puzzles, and name the woods after them.
- Silhouette drawing: sketch the tree's outline from memory; the flat-topped acacia, the cone-shaped spruce and the drooping willow are easy to tell apart.
- Planting day: press UK native trees or North American trees and spin for the sapling your class or family plants this season.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (48 entries)
- Oak
- Maple
- Birch
- Willow
- Beech
- Ash
- Elm
- Horse chestnut
- Sycamore
- Linden
- Aspen
- Poplar
- Hawthorn
- Rowan
- Hazel
- Holly
- Yew
- Pine
- Spruce
- Fir
- Larch
- Cedar
- Cypress
- Juniper
- Coast redwood
- Giant sequoia
- Monkey puzzle
- Ginkgo
- Magnolia
- Cherry
- Apple
- Olive
- Baobab
- Banyan
- Eucalyptus
- Acacia
- Coconut palm
- Jacaranda
- Dragon tree
- Mangrove
- Teak
- Mahogany
- Joshua tree
- Dogwood
- Bristlecone pine
- Mango
- Neem
- Cork oak
Questions people ask
What is the tallest tree in the world?
A coast redwood in California called Hyperion, measured at about 116 metres (380 feet). The giant sequoia is the biggest by volume, and Great Basin bristlecone pines are among the oldest living trees, with some over 4,800 years old.
Why is a sycamore a different tree in the UK and the US?
In the UK, sycamore means a kind of maple with spinning "helicopter" seeds. In North America it means a plane tree with peeling, patchy bark. One name, two quite different trees, which is why scientists rely on Latin names.
Which trees keep their leaves all winter?
Evergreens such as pines, spruces, holly and yew keep their leaves or needles all year. The larch is the odd one out: a conifer with cones and needles that turns gold and drops its needles every autumn. Press Evergreens to spin only those.
Is this a random tree generator for coding?
No, this one picks real tree species. A "random tree" in computer science is a set of connected points made by code to test programs, which is a different thing. Here, every spin gives a tree you can find in a park, a forest or a book.