BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree

Subject: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: leeneia
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 12:04 PM

Many catters will be familiar with the ancient yew tree in the churchyard in Fortingall, Scotland. Here's a link to an article about how the male tree is sporting female berries:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-34700033

(I can't figure out how to make a blue clicky in this stupid Windows 10!)

Mostly the article serves to show how important this tree is in the minds of Brits, and also how rigid are the ideas of the average person as to sexuality. Actually, sexuality is not as fixed as most people think. For example, I'm definitely and proudly female, yet I have one very male whisker in my left eyebrow.

I've been reading library books about genetics and DNA. I was interested to read in one that when a woman is pregnant with a son, that some of the boy's DNA will/may be transferred into her DNA. And when a woman is carrying fraternal twins, the boy and the girl will/may swap DNA, which they have for the rest of their lives.

Before this was understood, there was a painful court case in Michigan where a woman was deemed not to be the actual mother of her three children because she had the "wrong" DNA. Scary! Fortunately, they got it figured out, but imagine the fear and misery that family endured.

To borrow from Little Buttercup, things are seldom as simple as they seem.

Subject: RE: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 12:13 PM

Here you go, leeneia.
Thanks, this is a good one.

ancient Fortingall yew tree (conifers change sex)

Subject: RE: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 12:56 PM

It could just be a periclinal chimera.

Subject: RE: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 06:10 AM

Or it could be an artifact of climate change, in combination with other factors.

The Yew at Kilpeck (church) in Herefordshire is reputed to be over 1500 years old and the significance of Kilpeck Church is that of the interesting roof bosses. One is a Sheila na Gig.

Subject: RE: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 06:34 AM

Bet she can't change sex.

Subject: RE: BS: Fortingall Yew - berries on a boy tree
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 07:03 AM

All-female cucumbers occasionally produce male flowers under environmental stress. A little bit of sexual crossing-over is not that uncommon in the plant kingdom. I honestly don't think that the aberrant yew true is that big a deal.