The most unusual trees in the world. The strangest trees in the world

One can only envy Mother Nature’s fantasy - it is truly inexhaustible. There are so many interesting and unusual corners on earth that it wouldn’t take a lifetime to explore them. Each continent is unique in its own way, and above all, with its flora. There are more than 100,000 species of trees alone. Some of them are so unique in appearance, texture and dimensions that I would like to pay special attention to their description.

Trees of the world: amazing and incredible among us

An impromptu top ten of the most amazing trees in the world might look like this. Moreover, the order plays absolutely no role - they all deserve a prize, if not for beauty, then certainly for their strangeness and originality.

The place of “deployment” is the island of Socotra (the archipelago of the same name in Indian Ocean). Visually it resembles an umbrella turned inside out or a giant russula mushroom with a green cap. The massive trunk of this miracle of nature reaches up to 10 m in height, and the radius of the crown can be tens of meters. The tree received its exotic name because of its resinous red sap, reminiscent of blood. During monsoon rains dragon “umbrellas” begin to bloom, becoming covered with funny branchy panicles.

Distinctive feature This tall and proud handsome man is a multi-colored trunk. It seems that some impressionist artist did a good job creating such a bright and unusual palette. In fact, the whole trick is that the tree bark, being renewed naturally, changes color from soft light green to brick-raspberry. And on the way from “youth” to “old age” it still manages to transform into orange, purple, green and even blue. In addition to their multicolored appearance, chameleon eucalyptus trees can be safely called one of the longest-living trees on the planet. Their age often jumps over the thousand-year mark, and their height reaches 100 meters or more.

It, of course, has nothing to do with military topics, but the fruits clearly resemble military cannonballs - hence the name. Often found in botanical gardens of the subtropics. The original fruit-balls stick quite tightly to the tree trunk, representing real threat the lives of those who dare to stand next to this outlandish representative of forest flora.

At first glance, nothing extraordinary, many will think. Ficuses will surprise few people, and they grow in almost every home. But all the grins will instantly disappear from your face at the sight of a huge and semi-mysterious tree growing in the botanical park of the Indian city of Khauri. It is popularly called the “Tree Forest”, representing a real forest grove with hundreds of individual trunks and a shady upper crown. And to be completely speechless, it is worth mentioning its size - about 1.5 hectares in volume. According to scientists, the old ficus is about 250 years old.

It is not difficult to guess that this relative of the baobab received its name because of its resemblance to a glass bottle. Of course, no botanist will give him a prize for grace and aesthetics, but there is a certain eccentricity in his appearance - that’s a fact. It grows in Namibia, feels great under the scorching African sun and even pleases the eye with pink-red flowers, vaguely similar to magnolias. The bottle tree is also very poisonous, which Bushmen warriors did not neglect to take advantage of, lubricating hunting arrows with its juice.

The tree is native to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It has a rather warlike appearance, thanks to the spiral-shaped turns of sharp thorns that wrap around the trunk from the roots to the very top. The height of the palm can reach up to 20 m, and the length of the leaves often exceeds 3 m. It is noteworthy that the fruits of the peach “ruff” are still popular among residents of Central and South America, making up a significant part of the daily diet. And the most interesting thing is that they acquire the brightest taste precisely in their fermented form.

In Mayan mythology, it was one of the sacred symbols, and today the relay of worship has migrated to Puerto Rico, a South American state under the jurisdiction of the United States. The fruits of mature trees are large capsules containing fluffy, shiny fiber resembling cotton. But the most amazing thing about this 60-meter giant is that the trunks and large branches are simply strewn with prickly thorns. This terrifying “outfit” helps the tree retain moisture and feel good in the tropical heat.

Its discoverers were English sailors who moored on the shores of New Guinea and watched in amazement as the local aborigines gobbled up juicy fruits that resembled bread by both cheeks. Later, they learned to cultivate the tree in Jamaica, and it was used for a long time to feed slaves on plantations. Bread “loaves” can weigh up to 4 kg, piled up on a trunk or large branches. On average, seven hundred fruits are harvested from one mature tree per year - a good harvest! And these powerful beauties with a spreading crown live up to 70 years.

It turns out that you can milk not only a cow, but also trees - an amazing discovery for the inhabitants of Russia and a phenomenon of everyday life for the inhabitants of Central and South America. An incision is made on ripe fruits, and then, by analogy with birch sap, a container is placed, and the liquid gradually flows into the prepared container. You can milk up to 4 liters of juice at a time. When such milk is boiled, wax is released, which is then used to make candles or improvised chewing gum.

The second name is kigelia. Continues the food theme, although raw natural form its fruits are not eaten. Large sausage-shaped cucumbers hang between the branches, acquiring brown. Among Africans, Kigelia is still considered a panacea for all diseases, being actively used to treat skin and venereal diseases, wounds and insect bites, ulcers, as well as for various shamanic rituals. They also make it from “sausages” alcoholic drinks, adding honey to start the fermentation process.

The world of trees is truly unpredictable and amazing. And no matter how hard technological progress tries to subjugate our attention, it will never surpass nature.

The natural world amazes us with its diversity. And sometimes any trip to an ordinary forest ends for some interesting discoveries. However, if for some lindens, oaks or spruces are ordinary trees that grow right next to the house, then for others these trees are a real discovery from the natural world. Sequoias, baobabs or silk trees can also appear to us. Therefore, in order to show all the tree diversity of our planet, the site contains a selection of ten of the most incredible and amazing trees.

Amazing dragon tree

This unusual tree is common in subtropical climatic zone on islands near Africa and in Southeast Asia. This plant is an unusual form of the indoor dracaena known to many. However, unlike its indoor counterparts, it is truly gigantic in size.

Amazing dragon tree

The tree has a characteristic thick trunk unusual shape, due to which it has such an impressive appearance. In appearance it can be described as a hypertrophic cactus. All its branches grow upward and it is at the top of the dragon tree that you can see pointed tufts of leaves. Moreover, their trunk can reach four meters in girth and rise twenty meters in height.

The tree gets its unusual name from the resinous sap released when the bark is damaged. For its unusual properties - at first it has no color, and then acquires a bloody color, due to the large amount of dracorubin and dracocarmine pigments in the resin - it received the name “dragon’s blood”. This resin has medicinal purposes And for a long time It was the sale of this “blood” that was the main source of income for the inhabitants of the islands on which the tree grew.

Interesting feature. The tree does not have traditional growth rings and its age is determined by its flowering, which occurs approximately once every fifteen years. The oldest dragon tree grows in Tenerife. Its age is about 400 years.

African fat baobab trees

Baobabs are perhaps one of the most famous trees on the African continent. Almost anyone can recognize these fat men. However, most often they have a sloppy and unaesthetic appearance. And only in Madagascar did they acquire original forms and become real symbols of the island, by which it is recognized throughout the world.

Looking at this tree, anyone can understand its unusualness - Madagascar baobabs, like all their representatives, seem to grow with their roots upward. An ordinary tree reaches 20-30 meters in height and up to 10 meters in trunk girth. However, some representatives of this species can reach up to 80 meters.

An interesting feature of these trees is their dryness. The baobab bark is very thick and does not allow moisture to evaporate. And during the rainy season, it produces the opposite effect - it absorbs streams of water like a sponge and then retains them throughout the dry period.

One more interesting feature These trees are that they are able to take root in almost any condition and, after being cut down, can easily “be reborn from the ashes.” Thanks to such vitality, scientists still cannot accurately determine their life expectancy - some analyzes show only a thousand-year period, while according to others it can reach up to five thousand years.

New version of baobab - bottle tree

bottle tree from Australia

On the Australian continent, which is also known for its arid climate, its analogue of the baobab - the bottle tree - could not help but appear. Here its name sounds more modest - boab. By its very name you can understand that it looks like a pot-bellied bottle. All its varieties, regardless of their height, have a single, similar appearance - a trunk increasing towards the roots.

However, due to its inconspicuousness, it is worth talking about another representative of this genus, bottle trees from the island of Socotra. It is here that endemic trees grow, that is, species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. The island itself is equidistant from Arabian Peninsula and the African coast, therefore it has arid climate. And just like their baobab counterparts, they retain any liquid in their thick base.

These trees are much lower than their Australian counterparts, but have the same trunk part that lengthens towards the bottom. I would call them “pyramidal” because, unlike African boabs, they have a smoother transition from the bottom of the trunk to the top.

It is especially interesting to watch them during the flowering period - they appear on the branches pink flowers, and the bark is filled with an incredible bronze tan. This period for trees begins in February, so those who want to see this extraordinary picture should fly to the island at the end of winter.

Giant Aloe - Quiver Tree

This tree-like evergreen plant grows in the southwestern part of the African continent and has a tall, thick trunk with branches branched at the end. This relative of the domestic aloe known to us reaches a height of nine meters.

Currently, it is most often seen in Namibia. It is in this country that this funny tree grows among a pile of stone boulders. It acquired its second name, quiver tree, due to the fact that African tribes used its trunks to create quivers for arrows.

The uniqueness of this tree is that only this type of tree can be found only where there are stones and severe drought. And these umbrella-shaped crowns and gnarled trunks have a rather picturesque appearance.

The oldest centenarians on Earth are Bristlecone pines.

Bizarre twists of nature

Grows in California unusual trees, whom “time itself is afraid of.” It's about about Bristlecone pines. This group of trees whose age older than age any other organism known to scientists on our planet is now listed in the Red Book. According to scientists, these amazing trees are about four thousand years old and they are the same age as the famous Cheops pyramid.

Finding yourself in a forest like never before, you realize how short human life. After all, even the youngest of these trees is almost a thousand years old. The oldest tree in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is the Methuselah pine, which is already 4,723 years old.

The amazing beauty of Bristlecone pine

These trees grow in amazing place, which is more than ever suitable for this - at an altitude of more than three thousand meters above sea level and in conditions of poor soil layer and low humidity. Moreover, this type of pine has another rare feature. Due to the very low rate of regeneration and reproduction, the spread of this species is very difficult.

The most positive tree is the rainbow eucalyptus

Positive tree - rainbow eucalyptus

In the large family of eucalyptus trees, there is one species that, just looking at it, can instantly give you a positive charge. We are talking about rainbow eucalyptus. This majestic tree, which can rise, like all its brothers, to a height of up to seventy meters, has one undeniable advantage - its bark can play with all the colors of the rainbow from yellow and orange shades to green and purple.

These positive trees grow in the Southeast part of the Asian continent, and their homeland is the Philippine island of Mindanao. Such unusual beauties that nature writes on the trunk rainbow eucalyptus, is explained by the process of peeling of the bark, which occurs at different periods of time. And this variety of colors seems to serve as an indicator of the time scale of bark loss.

For example, the bark that a tree has recently removed will have a bright greenish tint. Over time, the bark begins to gradually darken and change its color, gradually becoming purple, then maroon, and eventually gets an orange camouflage.

The fire tree, surprising with its royal beauty

Delonix royal has long been considered one of the most beautiful views trees. And this is no coincidence, since this, as it is also called “fire tree” in the world, attracts everyone with its bright colors. This tree, like the baobab, which was already written about above, comes from Madagascar.

Until the 17th century, only lemurs in the wilds of the deciduous forests of Madagascar could admire it. However, the curiosity of botanists led to the fact that it began to be actively developed in America. As a result, it can now be found throughout the American continent, but in Madagascar itself it has practically disappeared. This was due to the fact that, in addition to its unusual yellow-red flowering, it has another valuable property - the crafts of local residents made from its dense wood are especially valuable. And it was they who were responsible for the fact that the Fire Tree is practically unknown in its homeland.

Delonix regalis is a tropical plant and cannot withstand long periods of drought. That is why it became widespread on the tropical islands of the Caribbean and in South American countries. However, if suitable conditions are created for it, it can be grown in other parts of the world. And, for example, in the southern part of China it has already become a symbol of several cities.

Surprisingly bright Wisteria

Wisteria, or wisteria as it is also called, is a woody deciduous vine. This perennial plant reaches a height of 15-20 meters and has profusely flowering shoots with leaves up to thirty centimeters long.

Now the most famous are two types of wisteria - Japanese and Chinese. It is these two species that have the most vibrant deciduous vines, differing from each other color scheme.

So, if Chinese wisteria has all sorts of lilac shades, then Japanese representatives have white and pink flowers. And it is the latter that, during flowering, form the most vivid and impressive pictures.

Amazing mangrove trees

In the process of evolution, appeared on earth amazing trees, which are very different from all their relatives. The thing is that this type of tree is almost the complete opposite of most of the trees presented above and, unlike bottle tree or the baobab tree does not need water at all, since it literally lives in it.

All these trees may belong to different species, but due to their specific distribution area they were combined into a single species - mangrove forests. This group of forests includes representatives of 24 species of tropical plants. They grow in small tropical lagoons, where they stretch for tens of kilometers in a small strip along sea bays.

The beauty of mangrove trees is most clearly visible underwater

Mangrove trees also look original respiratory system. These trees have developed peculiar adventitious roots, through which the plant is supplied with oxygen.

They look especially beautiful during high tides. At this time, on the water, they seem like a single leafy ocean, nomadic on the water. However, the main beauties can only be observed by lovers of underwater diving - it is under water that picturesque pictures appear, proving that it is not for nothing that mangrove forests are included in the list of the most beautiful trees on Earth.

There are many miracles in the world and amazing phenomena nature, among them one cannot fail to note the unique trees, striking in their size, color and unusual properties. Special attention attracts the following representatives of the plant world.

1. Tallest tree on Earth

The most tall tree on Earth - Californian evergreen sequoia"Hyperion" growing in Redwood National Park in California (USA). The name of the giant was given in honor Greek titanium Hyperion, since his name is translated from ancient Greek as “very tall.”

Its height is approximately 115.5 meters, at a height of 1.4 m the trunk diameter is 4.84 meters, the volume of wood is 502 m³. The giant grows by 2.5 centimeters every year. Hyperion is still very young, its age is estimated to be 700-800 years, which is not so long for redwoods, which usually live from three to four thousand years. Photos of Hyperion and its exact location are not published. Park rangers fear that a large influx of tourists will disrupt the ecosystem in which the sequoia has lived for centuries, and that visitors may damage the tree's fine roots, which will lead to its death.

2. The most voluminous tree

The most large tree In terms of volume, sequoiadendron "General Sherman" grows in California in Sequoia National Park. Sequoiadendrons are also called mammoth trees and giant sequoias. Compared to evergreen sequoias, these trees have larger trunk diameters and shorter heights.

The volume of General Sherman sequoiadendron wood is 1486 cubic meters. meters, weight - 1900 tons, height - 83.8 meters, trunk circumference - 31 meters, trunk diameter - 7.7 meters, diameter of the largest branch - 2.1 m. It is considered the largest and heaviest living creature on earth. According to scientists, the age of the giant is 2000-2700 years. The tree continues to grow, the diameter of its trunk increases by one and a half centimeters every year.

3. The thickest tree

The thickest trunk is the Mexican taxodium tree, which grows next to the temple in the Mexican city of Santa Maria del Tule. In honor of this city, the plant is called "Thule Tree". According to measurements taken in 2005, its trunk had a circumference of 36.2 meters, a diameter of 11.62 meters, and a height of 35.4 meters. It is believed that this plant may be between 1,400 and 6,000 years old. Local residents believe that the Tule Tree was planted 1,400 years ago by the Aztec priest of the wind god Ehecatl.

4. The oldest tree

Title oldest tree on Earth belongs to the sequoia " Eternal God", which grows in Prairie Creek National Park in California. According to various estimates, the age of a centenarian ranges from 7 to 12 thousand years. The height of the sequoia is 72.54 meters, the diameter of the trunk is 5.97 meters.

5. The oldest tree planted by man

The oldest tree planted by man grows on the island of Sri Lanka in the city of Anuradhapura and is called “Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi”. The tree belongs to the species Ficus religiosum and is revered by Buddhists in Sri Lanka as a great shrine. They believe that this tree was grown from a cutting taken from sacred tree“Bodhi Sri Maha Bodhi”, under which Buddha meditated and achieved enlightenment. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree was brought to Sri Lanka by the daughter of Emperor Ashoka, Princess Sangamita Thera, and was planted in 288 BC. on a 6.5 meter high terrace.

6. The mutant tree that occupies the largest area

Most large area occupied by the Pirangi cashew tree, planted in 1888. Because of genetic mutation All its branches, touching the ground, begin to take root. Thus, one tree formed an entire forest with an area of ​​8400 sq.m. The size of the mutant is 80 times the size of a normal cashew tree. Pirangi is highly prolific and produces about 80 thousand nuts annually.

7. The tree with the longest roots

The wild fig tree or sycamore, growing in Africa, has the longest roots. Sycamore roots go as deep as 120 meters.

8. The slowest growing tree

The slowest growing tree in the world is the White Cedar, native to Canada's Great Lakes region. It is believed that he has grown by only 10 cm over the past 155 years.

9. The most poisonous tree in the world

It is better not to get close to the manchineel tree, which grows in Central America and the Caribbean islands, and especially not to taste its fruits, which look like apples. The manchineel tree has become famous as the most poisonous tree on a planet, all parts of which contain toxic milky sap. Manchinella fruits can send a person to the next world; if it gets into the eyes, its milky juice causes blindness and leaves burns on the skin. A person can even go blind from the smoke of burning manchinella wood. According to legend, he died from the poison of the manchineel tree. spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. An arrow soaked in manchinella juice hit him in the leg, causing a painful death.

10. Wood - container for water

Baobab is a very famous tree, unique theme, which is capable of storing about 120 thousand liters of water and thus surviving drought. A distinctive feature of the baobab is its swollen trunk, shaped like a bottle or teapot. Some trees reach 20-25 meters in girth. During drought, the trunks decrease slightly in diameter, consuming accumulated moisture. Baobabs are also notable for the fact that they do not die when the core is destroyed. In the huge hollows of baobab trees, local residents set up warehouses, bus stops, bathhouses and even prisons.

11. The tree has the most colorful bark

The most colorful bark belongs to the rainbow eucalyptus, looking at which you get the impression that the tree was painted with paints by some artist. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that pieces of bark peel off from the tree every year, exposing a green layer, which is then painted in blue, blue, purple, orange, red, brown and other colors. As the tree loses pieces of bark in different times and in different places, its trunk is decorated with bizarre colored stripes. The height of rainbow eucalyptus trees is on average 75 meters, the diameter of the trunk is 2.4 m. In the recent past, eucalyptus trees reached even more impressive sizes and even exceeded the height of sequoias. For example, in 1872, Australian state forest inspector William Ferguson mentioned in a report about a fallen eucalyptus tree, the height of which was 150 meters.

12. Tree invulnerable to bullets

Schmidt birch wood, common in the Primorsky Territory, China and Japan, is distinguished by its extraordinary hardness, one and a half times greater than the hardness of cast iron. It is known that bullets even bounce off the trunk of this birch tree. Schmidt birch wood resists burning, rotting and acids well. It could well replace metal, but this tree is quite rare in nature. Another difference between this tree and other types of birch is the unusual dark color of the bark. In the bark of the Schmidt birch there is only 0.01% betulin - a substance that gives white bark, while in other birches the betulin content ranges from 5 to 20 percent.

13. Tree - diesel fuel producer

The Copaifera langsdorffii tree can rightfully be called a motorist's dream, since its sap is practically no different in composition from diesel fuel. To obtain sap, a hole is made in the bark of the “diesel” tree, through which an oily liquid begins to seep. It is collected and used to fuel cars. One such tree produces about 50 liters of diesel fuel per year. This miracle of nature grows in Brazil, and in our northern latitudes it doesn't take root.

14. Trees fused with stone

Trees fused with stone can be seen at Ta Prokhm Temple, located in the ancient Cambodian temple complex Angkor Wat. These fantastic cotton trees, called ceiba, entwine stone buildings with their huge roots, forming a single whole with them. It is not possible to cut down such a tree, since the ancient stone building will collapse along with it.

15. A mystery tree that can survive in a waterless desert

The strongest will to live is found in the mesquite tree, which grows in the middle of the desert in Bahrain. The tree grows completely alone; the nearest plants are hundreds of kilometers away. The existence of this tree is a mystery to scientists, as they cannot determine how it gets water in the hot desert. It is believed that its roots go tens of meters deep into the earth, where they reach layers containing water. The age of the amazing tree is 400 years, height - 9.5 meters. For its unbending desire to live, this plant was called the Tree of Life.

Today we want to bring to your attention the most unusual trees growing on our Earth. As you know, the most widespread plant on our planet deserves special place in our life it is a tree. There are more than 100,000 species of them growing on our land. Where and how a person uses it, but we pay attention to the trees around us only if they are somehow different from their neighbors, either in size, or in bizarre shapes or flowers and fruits.

• Dragon tree (Dracaenacinnabari) or more precisely Dracaena vermilion. It grows on the island of Socotra. Outwardly, this miracle of nature resembles an umbrella turned inside out with a green cap of foliage and a massive trunk. The height of an adult tree is 10 m. The dragon tree received this name because of its resinous red sap. The flowers of the tree appear during the monsoon rains in the form of branched panicles.

• Australian baobab - "Bottle tree" or Adansonia Gregorii, named for its external resemblance with glass container - bottle. It grows in the mountains of Namibia, its milky sap is very poisonous; in ancient times, hunters lubricated their arrows with it. During the flowering period, beautiful pink-red flowers appear on the branches of the bottle tree.

• The largest tree in the world grows in the “Giant Forest” of Sequoia National Park, California, USA in the Sierra Nevada mountain range (Sierra Nevada, California). The height of the long-lived sequoia "General Sherman", according to various estimates about 2800 years, is 83 meters, the trunk girth is more than 24 meters, the crown circumference is approximately 33 meters. But what's the most interesting tree is still growing and increases its trunk diameter by 1.5 cm per year. But in 2006, due to heavy snowfalls, one of the branches of the tree broke off, the diameter of which was about two meters and the length was more than 30 meters, but this incident did not in any way affect its status as “The Most big tree world" growing in our time. But the tallest tree growing here in California is the Hyperion tree, its height reaches 115.5 meters, thereby exceeding the height of the Statue of Liberty. These are the giants we have on our planet.

• Madagascar baobab or Adansonia Grandidieri, a mighty tree about 80 meters high and about 25 meters in girth, grows on the island of Madagascar. Some baobab trees have been growing for over 1000 years. The even and smooth trunk of the baobab accumulates a large amount of water, so it easily tolerates drought. Although the white flowers of the baobab are short-lived when in bloom, once in bloom they last only a day, but they have received the attention of the Treasury of Madagascar. On the 100-franc bill they are depicted, the flowers of the Madagascar baobab.

• Baobab Sunland South Africa The tree located near Modjadjiskloof is hollow inside, so in 1933 it was equipped with a minibar with 15-20 seats. The tree itself is not tall, about 20 meters, but its age is simply impressive, it is more than 6000 years old.

• Tree of Life, Bahrain. In the middle of a large desert, one single green tree, 9.75 meters high, has been living simply in extreme conditions for more than 400 years. Local residents called this place the Garden of Eden; it is still not known exactly how the tree survives in these conditions; there is an assumption that its roots go deep into the ground, and from there they take life-giving moisture for growth and life. UNESCO took this Tree of Life under its protection, including it in the list of “World Heritage Sites”.

• Rainbow eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta) with a beautiful multi-colored trunk is a tree that is also a long-liver of our planet and quite tall, sometimes growing up to 100 meters in height or more. The beautiful coloring of the bark comes from the constant peeling off of old strips of bark, exposing the bright light green, young bark. Over time, the bark hardens and dulls, becoming dark green, then blue and purple, and then changing from orange-red to crimson-brown. These are the constant transformations and updates that occur with the eucalyptus bark, constantly changing its appearance.

• With extraordinary fruits that look like cannonballs in South America The Cannon Tree (Couroupitaguianensis) grows. The tree is very prolific, producing 200-300 kernels with a diameter of 15-25 centimeters. A favorite tree of many subtropical botanical gardens, as it attracts with its original fruits that cling to almost the entire tree trunk. But coming close to it, and even more so standing under it, is dangerous; there is a risk of getting hit by a cannonball of impressive weight.

• The Great Banyan or Ficus Bengali, this tree that has the largest crown area, grows in Indian botanical garden in the city of Khauri. Looking from the outside at this green miracle of nature, you will not immediately understand that in fact this is not a grove or a shady oak grove, but one tree. This beauty has another name: “Forest Tree”, since it has not one, but several thousand trunks at once. It is about 250 years old and occupies a fairly impressive area of ​​1.5 hectares and has 3,300 aerial roots.