Some timber are good for tree-houses. Some timber will not be. Guess which class this one matches into?
It’s a conifer, and like all conifers will produce no flowers. Relatively the seeds (and pollen) are produced on the scales of cone-like buildings — which might conveniently be referred to as “cones.” (“Strobilus” is the flamboyant phrase for a cone.)
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Most conifers are evergreen: the northern Larch and our stately bald cypress are conifers, however these two lose all of their foliage every winter.
This week’s mysterious conifer (Monkey-puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana) is an evergreen species which can make a stout trunk if given sufficient time, and its huge limbs will probably be adorned with considerably triangular leaves.
The limbs usually develop out of the trunk in rings, or whorls. Branches will probably be fully coated by the foliage, with the leaves overlapping one another all the way in which to the tip of the stem. The broad-based leaf blades are very robust, nearly like laborious plastic, and they’re very sharply pointed at their ends.
If that’s not spectacular sufficient, how about this: the margins of the leaf blades are sharp, nearly like a knife blade. So, we’d think about that this may be a pleasant tree to take a look at, however not superb for little boys or women to climb round in. No good for tree-houses. Even for squirrels!
This uncommon plant is certainly one of about 20 intently associated species, all native to the southern hemisphere. This explicit species happens naturally in forests of Chile and Argentina, the place it turns into a really tall tree, forming dense forests. The timber are both male or feminine, and naturally, it’s the feminine timber that may produce huge seed cones.
You’ll be able to see this tree grown in botanical gardens and arboreta in numerous components of the world, together with North America and Europe. The crops do effectively in cultivation, as soon as established, and appear to thrive in cool climates.
As you may anticipate, certainly one of these timber with any measurement to it generates loads of curiosity, and dialog. Some folks suppose the huge, ropy branches appear to be the necks of scaly dragons, or dinosaurs. And, after all, these knife-like leaves get a variety of respectful consideration.
There truly is a reference to dinosaurs. This species, and its closest relations, could be regarded as “dwelling fossils.” They present up within the fossil document throughout the Jurassic interval, some 150 million (or so) years in the past. A few of these dinosaurs had relatively brontosaurus-sized appetites, and have been keen on nibbling no matter vegetation — or one another — occurred to be at hand.
For the salad-lovers, there have been loads of ferns and fern-like crops, lots of which reached tree-size. Our Thriller Plant presumably advanced its fearsomely prickly foliage as a method of deterring ravenous reptilian jaws. After all, there aren’t many dinosaurs for them to take care of now — however there are these pesky children!
I took this image a few years in the past whereas searching round within the “Palmengarten” in Frankfurt, Germany. What a unbelievable botanical backyard!
John Nelson is the retired curator of the A. C. Moore Herbarium on the College of South Carolina in Columbia SC. As a public service, the Herbarium gives free plant identifications. For extra info, go to www.herbarium.org or e-mail johnbnelson@sc.rr.com.
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