. I couldn't tell you the difference between an oak tree and a maple tree for all the money in the world.
Do you go outside?
Trees have long been important cultural and mythological aspects of humanity, so it isn't surprising that they're a common trope in fantasy. A cursory look at various religions will reveal trees everywhere: Yggdrasil, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (and by extension the Cross), the Bodhi tree... the list is nearly endless.
As for the needless pseudopastoral descriptions in WoT, I refer you to the beginning of this sentence.
If you ask 10 random people on the street what tree they were looking at, how many do you think would know? It just bugs me that ordinary people in these books all know what the different trees are
Formerly Mat Bloody Cauthon on Wotmania, blessed be its name
Today's quickpoll about trees reminded me of something I wanted to discuss
- 07/03/2011 04:49:40 AM
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Wow.
- 07/03/2011 07:34:43 AM
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Oh come on now
- 07/03/2011 02:34:08 PM
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Re: Oh come on now
- 07/03/2011 06:19:12 PM
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Exactly 
- 07/03/2011 07:58:46 PM
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- 07/03/2011 07:58:46 PM
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I noticed it for the first time on my reread, but only because I don't know wtf "leatherleaf" is. 
- 07/03/2011 10:50:48 PM
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- 07/03/2011 10:50:48 PM
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Like ghavrel said, they are important culturally and mythologically
- 07/03/2011 05:05:37 PM
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