Kissing trees

A short while ago I wrote a couple of blogposts about conjoined trees (see here and here). 

So I was fascinated to see this extraordinary photograph on Facebook yesterday.

The image is by photographer Pósa Tamás. 

As Wikipedia explains:

'When branches or roots of different trees are in prolonged intimate contact, they often abrade each other, exposing their inner tissues, which may eventually fuse. This process is called inosculation, a natural phenomenon in which trunks, branches or roots of two trees grow together. It is biologically similar to grafting and such trees are referred to in forestry as gemels, from the Latin word meaning "a pair."

The term is derived from the Latin root osculari - 'to kiss into/inward/against'.

Inosculation is most common for branches of two trees of the same species to grow together, though it can be found across related species. The branches first grow separately in proximity to each other until they touch. At this point, the bark on the touching surfaces is gradually abraded away as the trees move in the wind. Once the cambium of two trees touches, they sometimes self-graft and grow together as they expand in diameter. Inosculation customarily results when tree limbs are braided or pleached (interwoven).' 

So now we know.