Sentient tree on a distant planet gets knocked down in storm and passing by space ship gets a life form signal and goes to check it out. [s]

[Kevin]

Ship gets a life form signal and goes to check it out.

Sentient tree on a distant planet saves human after(shuddle crash."?" gets hurt."?")

The tree's conscience moves to become part of the man as it is ripped from the ground by a storm.

Man becomes stronger and his children will live long full lives the return to the planet to grow roots to let the them "live" even longer

There were more stories in the book but I cant remember them.

It was not "Proto" from Imaginary Epics From the Cosmos Adventurous Science Fiction Stories By:Darryl L Gopaul
I had my hopes up but unfortunately it was not it.

[SarahBeth]

This sounds similar to the beginning of Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller but it's a novel not a short story. Unless maybe they released it as a short and then expanded it.

[Michele]

When you say "There were more stories in the book but I ca't remember them" do you mean that this was a short story, and it was in an anthology? Or was it a full-length book?

[Bryan457]

That would be Keith Laumer's 1961 short story "Hybrid," Which baen books will let you read for free @ http://www.baenebooks.com/10.1125/Bae...
From the end of the story:
"Two weeks down and fourteen to go," Gault said. "Why don't you break down and tell me what happened back there?"

"How's Malpry?" Pantelle asked.

"He's all right. Broken bones do knit, and you only broke a few."

"The book was wrong about the Yanda spores," Pantelle said. "They don't have the power in themselves to reconstruct the host-creature—"

"The what?"

"The infected animal; the health and life-span of the host is improved. But the improvement is made by the tree, at the time of propagation, to insure a good chance for the spores."

"You mean you—"

"We made a deal. The Yanda gave me this—" Pantelle pressed a thumb against the steel bulkhead. The metal yielded.

"—and a few other tricks. In return, I'm host to the Yanda spores."

Gault moved away from Pantelle.

"Doesn't that bother you? Parasites—"

"It's an equitable deal. The spores are microscopic, and completely dormant until the proper conditions develop."

"Yeah, but you said yourself this vegetable brain has worked on your mind."

"It merely erased all the scars of traumatic experience, corrected deficiencies, taught me how to use what I have."

"How about teaching me?"

"Sorry, Gault." Pantelle shook his head "Impossible."

Gault considered Pantelle's remarks.

"What about these 'proper conditions' for the spores?" he asked suddenly. "You wake up and find yourself sprouting some morning?"

"Well," Pantelle coughed. "That's where my part of the deal comes in. A host-creature transmits the spores through the normal mating process. The offspring gets good health and a long life before the metamorphosis. That's not so bad—to live a hundred years, and then pick a spot to root and grow and watch the seasons turn. . . ."

Gault considered. "A man does get tired," he said. "I know a spot, where you can look for miles out across the Pacific. . . ."

"So I've promised to be very active," Pantelle said. "It will take a lot of my time, but I intend to discharge my obligation to the fullest."

Did you hear that, Yanda? Pantelle asked silently.

"I did," came the reply from the unused corner he had assigned to the Yanda ego-pattern. "Our next thousand years should be very interesting."

[Kevin]

HA! That was it!!!! I Just Forgot after a while... Thanks!!!

[Kris]

Kevin, congrats on finding your short story.

Should we shelve this under the collection Odyssey, The Best of Keith Laumer, or ??