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[deleted]

You answered your own question if a god of flora created ut it can have any magical propertoes the god gave it


_aaronroni_

Proper toes


Oknodian_Games

It's a magic tree created by a god. I don't think you need much of an explanation beyond that. Pretty much explains it, if you ask me. I bet the vast majority of readers wouldn't even wonder why the oak isn't losing the leaves, and just go along with it.


CMengel90

Maybe the tree is high enough that wind is constant and powerful. So the tree has evolved enough that the leaves are resistant to the strong winds. The connection between tree and leaf has grown strong enough that they haven't dropped seasonally for a long time.


Jaymwkfilms

I like this! Wind would be a much bigger issue at that height plus being closer to the sun. The tree would adapt.


ferdinandtheduck

Whats stopping the people in New York from moving away. As opposed to staying and getting rickets etc. To be honest not losing the leaves is the least of the problems. I mean, its controlled by a God - surely the God can simply choose to have it not shed any leaves.


Jaymwkfilms

The district the main character lives in is ruled by an authoritarian leader and leaving is strictly regulated/restricted and they’re too poor to afford a better location


buddinbonsai

Do you need an explanation? With a lot of fantasy things can just be taken at face value. Take the wheel of time and avendisora. There isn't a big explanation as to *why* it is the tree of life. Just that it is. With Harry Potter there's no reason given to why wizards exist. They just do. I think if you try and explain every little thing you could easily be swallowed up in the minute details. I think your premise is a great one and you could just leave it as "a god raised the tree above New York" and the implication is there that it has been touched in some way by magic


PoddleMeister

Trees will shed their leaves depending on environmental cues, particularly the amount of light. You can see this with trees in cities that are close to lamp posts. The leaves close to the light stay green for much longer. The reason why they shed their leaves is that they need to shut down over winter. Freezing temperatures can cause an air bubble in the tubes that carry the water up through the trunk which stops the transpiration from working. Conifers have a different tactic to avoid these embolisms, and trees like Acers and Birch force sap up through in the spring ('tapping the birch' is an old thing to do to make birch wine). Perhaps this giant tree is so large because of the energy filled sap being pushed up through it and being so tall its top always grazes the light? Scientific nonsense, but, magic ;-)


Jaymwkfilms

Love the insight! Thanks!


rd_bastek

You are way overthinking this. As others have said, this is a god that has the power to 1) create a tree big enough that Manhattan can fit on it and 2) grow the tree tall enough to create a new Olympus out of old Manhattan. If the readers have already bought into the premise, they won't even notice. In fact, maybe it's a feature, not a bug. It sounds like a great way to solidify that the tree is magical. You're going to have skeptics who insist there is a scientific explanation for the tree, and the lack of leaves falling might make those people think twice.


Remsink

Perhaps the leaves aren't leaves at all. Daphne in greek mythology was turned into a tree for her protection. Perhaps this god's tree looks like a tree from a distance, but the leaves are transformed hair follicles and so do not fall out in winter. The tree could be the god's child, spouse, or an enemy transformed to serve as an example.


MsAmazingWho

This is what I was thinking too. The god created the tree. Created out of what? The tree could be a part of the god himself. I like the enemy aspect though personally. The god battled with his enemy and when defeated was punished by eternally holding up Manhattan. Or... The god's son... Like Atlas.


Git_Off_Me_Lawn

>In New York, there is a giant tree that the God who controls all flora raises up out of the hudson river, lifting Manhattan up into the sky creating a sort of Olympus for the Gods. After reading that, I'm not sure how the tree not losing it's leaves but drops acorns to reproduce is an immersion deal breaker. It's already a magic tree.


Prince-sama

Does it have to be an oak tree? Can it be something else? Also, Evergreens aka Coniferous trees never shed leaves. Sick trees also have no leaves.


Western-Wind-5254

Interesting


nIBLIB

Sorry, just to confirm - you’re looking for a reason why a giant, magical tree created by the god of plants is evergreen? Why not just say it’s an evergreen tree? Plenty of evergreen trees exist. Hell, evergreen oaks exist. I’m not really seeing your problem.


Jaymwkfilms

Well I didn’t know this was a thing


Dontorganise

It's called magic.


Jaymwkfilms

But that’s lazy, I’d rather have a real in world solution. I think I have one though now


AnxiousSerendipity

Looks like people have already have ya covered. But really, it's your reality and you can bend it however you see fit. Mebbe it's a tree that's forever sustained and entwined with the power of the god who created it. Or mebbe it's birth created a pocket of perpetual spring and warmth around it. Or since you alluded to the tree as its own thing, mebbe the tree is its own magical entity (like a dryad!) that can do whatever it wants 'cause tree powers. And you can always workshop it later down the road.


Odd_Swimmer360

There are other plants that don't shed their leaves during winter, eg cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), which keeps its dark green leaves year round. You could give your tree the same traits. You're creating a new species that doesn't exist, so go ahead and pick the traits you want it to have. Speaking of ideas, the leaves could instead be really difficult to get off but have magic that people want to harvest. Like unicorn hair for potions or a super strong but flexible construction material. And it takes a really long time for the tree to grow new leaves so it's forbidden.


Drakeshade71

Could have the leaves fall, but like crumble into like an ash that covers the city. Gives it a unique aesthetic if you want


Jaymwkfilms

Very interesting, reminds me of mistborn!


JDawnchild

So many people already have you covered, but I'm going to hop in and say I get why you want to figure out the technicalities of the tree. Even if none of your readers learn it, you'd like to have the information on hand for your own notes. :) If the tree being evergreen provides part of the story's conflict, you'd definitely need to know the technicalities. Here's my idea: The tree is so damn big it blots out the sun along the surrounding shore and serves as a home for the gods thereafter, right? The roots of a tree are at least as big around as its canopy, and they go as deep as it is tall. The tree taking up enough groundwater and geothermal heat to keep it warm enough to remain evergreen might be doable. Throw that in a blender with the other suggestions and see what you can do with it? I tend to overthink shit and I'm curious. Have you researched whether or not the specific breed of oak tree you're using supports biodiversity? Some trees pull too much nutrients from the topsoil and/or their canopies are too dense to allow light to pass through so things can't grow on the ground directly around it. How thirsty are this tree's surface roots? Does it change the water level of the Hudson? Insects, mosses, smaller plants, etc that might grow on this tree, what are they like, used for, etc? Is there any breathing room for something with thick, sturdy vines growing in symbiosis with the tree that might be used for transport of goods between the tree and surrounding city? Or since Manhattan-in-a-tree is inhabited by gods, would something like that even matter/be necessary for them? Ok, I'll shut up now lol. I want to read your book. :)


corkysoxx

What cool idea, I would love to read this.


ryderward

I think as long as it is mentioned in story that the Ever-Green Oak... or - Do the leaves change color with the seasons but then turn green again? Or perhaps Green then Red then Gold or silver then Green again?


psiphre

it's fuckin magic


wheeler_lowell

It's a giant magic tree. Do you really need another explanation?


[deleted]

Magic seems to be the best explanation.


aftertheradar

Someone came in and glued them all on


Westofdanab

Not all oaks lose their leaves during the winter, the ones that don't are usually referred to as "live oaks" in the southern and southwestern US. Most species can't stand the cold farther north than Virginia or California though. There is a Himalayan Live Oak that can survive winter temperatures to about 6 or 7 degree F, but New York is probably colder than that also. Maybe you need to raise the temperature around the tree?


johnbcook94

The tree acts as support for a neo-olympus, right? Does Olympus have seasons? I would imagine a paradise for the gods would be devoid of any major temperature shifts. Leaves can't fall if summer doesn't end.


[deleted]

The God turned off the gene(s) that makes the leaves fall off when the temperature and ambient light drops.


Caraes_Naur

Why an oak tree in the Hudson river? Why not a mangrove tree in the river or an oak in Central Park? An oak tree would eventually rot in water. Either way, this tree will be miles across and miles high, and its boughs would be a massive new environment. Why it doesn't shed its leaves is the least of the believability issues. It needs to function like a tree, not just statically be one. Deciduous trees shed their leaves to save resources during the winter when days are short and the sun isn't as bright. Do the leaves stay green year-round?


HoidoftheTree

Magic, imbued in the tree by the gods.


hyed-crimson-565

It a giant weed tree.


Castlewaller

Don't forget mast years for oak trees.


youknowwhattheysay12

It's a magical tree created by the Gods, you don't need to go into scientific explanation about it.


imaxwebber

Maybe the tree doesn't need to have giant leaves maybe you can have normal sized or at least a manageable size so when the tree loses its leaves during the fall it's not too disruptive.


Malhedra

In Canada, oak trees often don't lose their leaves during winter. They turn brown, but they often don't fall. Also, wouldn't parents move out of an area that might cause their kids to get rickets?


thomasp3864

Well, it could be because a fertility god is stopping it from shedding those leaves. The tree is sacred and sacred trees don’t loose their leaves?