Mast (botany)
Encyclopedia
Mast is the "fruit of forest
tree
s like acorn
s and other nut
s". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech
, and other forms of Cupuliferae
". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts".
More generally, mast is considered the edible vegetative or reproductive part produced by woody species of plants, i.e. trees and shrubs, that wildlife species and some domestic animals consume. It comes in two forms.
, hickory
and beech
produce a hard mast - acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnuts. It has been traditional to turn pig
s into forests to fatten on this form of mast. Also branch tips of the latest year's growth are eaten by some wildlife, such as deer
.
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s like acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s and other nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, and other forms of Cupuliferae
Cupuliferae
Cupuliferae is a botanical name: in this case it is a descriptive botanical name: under the ICBN it may only be applied to a taxon at a rank above that of family.However, this name was only used for a family, and for this it may no longer be used...
". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts".
More generally, mast is considered the edible vegetative or reproductive part produced by woody species of plants, i.e. trees and shrubs, that wildlife species and some domestic animals consume. It comes in two forms.
Hard mast
Tree species such as oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
produce a hard mast - acorns, hickory nuts, and beechnuts. It has been traditional to turn pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s into forests to fatten on this form of mast. Also branch tips of the latest year's growth are eaten by some wildlife, such as deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
.