I once visited Muir Woods near San Francisco and learned about “burl sprouting”. I wonder if, despite the slightly different spelling, there is any connection between the two words?

“Burl sprouting is an alternative, cloning method of reproduction in redwoods~ and 90 percent of the redwoods at Muir Woods began as sprouts, not seeds.
First a single bud forms in the growing layer of the trunk. Instead of immediately growing into a branch, the bud remains dormant until a stress to the tree stimulates it. Dividing and subdividing, buds proliferate, establishing a burl. Eventually a lump forms and if needed, the lump can sprout into a new branch, or grow into a tree.

"Most burls form on root crowns below the ground. The burls forming at this point are unusually high and large. Though burls can weigh up to several tons, they do not disrupt any of the tree's functions.

"All the trees here with large burls could be called "relatives," sprouting from the same root stock and sharing the same genetic traits. In fact the genetic material that comprises some trees may be thousands of years old. One sign of trees that began by sprouting is when groups form circles around a dead central tree.”