Understanding Earth and Water (Feng Shui) is key to
understanding the attributes of growing things,
especially trees.

A tree, unlike animal life, is firmly rooted to earth
and water, and is therefore at their mercy.  Heaven
and Earth, the energy that courses through soil and
water, place the tree at their mercy.  And yet the
seed germinates, bursts forth through the soil, grows
from sapling to a stalwart bastion of shade, and
flowers and buds, in spite of this.

The reason, the Chinese thought, for its prosperity is
indicated in the ground itself.  The Four Soverreigns:
Heaven, Earth, Sun and Moon, are the expressions of
energy; and they constantly intersect within the
surface of the Earth itself.  A tree, it was reasoned,
is at the center of that intersection, carefully
balancing out the forces it recieves, in spite of
their hostility, to become their sovereign, filling
the position of the fifth.  This miraculous nature of
a tree, then, is an example to man himself, and this
is the reason why trees are given such enormous value
in oriental art and science, by showing the WAY to
life and prosperity through adaptation.

But most trees are different from each other, and this
diversity is explained by the disparity between the
four sovereigns, which is to say, the disparities of
geography and climate.  Trees evolved, and specialize
according to where they are planted.  And the
disparity of forces keep trees from ever being a "one
size fits all" kind of species.

Unless of course you are able to plant trees outside
of a soil environment, and sustain them on all four
forces in equilibrium.  In that sort of condition, a
tree may take on many, seemingly magical,
characteristics.  But that's impossible.....

Except that the Jurai are doing exactly that.

Peter