Information needed on the root system of the California Pepper Tree. The particular tree in question is double trunked and planted on a bank. The tree is 2+ feet in radius and 25 feet high. So far I have found a root 3 inches in width approx 25 feet from the base of the tree. Do you know more?

Reply to post by Lynda Kent, on May 12, 1999 at 16:18:29:

I'm not familiar with the California peppertree, per September, but can comment on roots in general.

Tree roots grow where there are sufficient resources and adequate conditions. They need three basic things to grow- oxygen (and a lack of toxic gases- ie., good gas exchange), moisture, and nutritional elements (nitrogen, phosphorous, etc). There has to be a physically supporting environment, also. Roots can't grow through rock.

Fine absorbing roots are often found in the top few inches of soil, where oxygen is greatest, and moisture often is good supply. The larger transport roots grow in the same places, since they develop initially from the smaller roots. As the tree ages, these roots enlarge over time. The size of the fine root system each major transport root supports will also have an effect on its size. Finding 3-inch roots 25 feet from a tree is not unusual, especially in clay soils and for a tree over 2 feet in diameter. The roots will spread to many times the height of the tree.