Interesting trees of the world and stories about them. The most-most trees in the world

We are all accustomed to the sight of the trees around us and, passing by, we do not pay much attention to them. But very unusual specimens also grow on our planet. Their appearance will not only surprise us, but will also make us stop in amazement.

(Total 18 photos)

1. On our planet there are many trees of a species unusual to our eyes. But where they grow, local residents take them for granted and do not pay much attention to them.

2. For example, not a single European will pass by a baobab without stopping to look at and touch the giant. The people of Africa will no longer understand this delight. After all, for them it is an ordinary, unremarkable tree.

3. Baobab trees growing in Madagascar can take the form of a bottle or teapot. Scientists don’t know exactly what this is connected with, but they assume that such a strange appearance allows for better moisture retention.

5. The appearance of rainbow eucalyptus trees, found only in the northern hemisphere, seems to have been created by an unknown abstractionist. But in fact, the multi-colored bark is the work of mother nature.

6. In addition to their bright appearance, the trees are also famous for their colossal growth. It can reach seventy meters in height.

7. Another unique representative of the flora is the dragon tree. It does not have growth rings, and at the site of a fresh cut, red juice appears, reminiscent of blood in color.

8. The ancient temple palace of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and centuries-old cotton trees have long become one.

9. Cotton trees are also called “ceibs”. In addition to the unique symbiosis with ancient ruins, the trees have another extraordinary feature. Their trunk and branches are densely strewn with thorns. This “prickly outfit” allows you to better retain valuable moisture.

10. The Inyo National Forest is home to the most ancient tree of our planet. This is an intermountain bristlecone pine, given the name "Methuselah". It was discovered by scientists in 1953. Only according to rough calculations, the tree is 4842 years old. The exact location of the amazing pine tree is kept secret in order to avoid acts of vandalism.

11. A 1,500-year-old oak tree grows in South Carolina (USA). The height of the centuries-old giant is twenty meters, diameter is 2.7 meters. The last owners of the land on which the oak grows were the Angel family, so the tree was called "Angel Oak".

12. Near the church in Santa Maria del Tule grows the thickest tree on our planet - the Thule Tree.

13. It belongs to the Taxodium family and is found only in Mexico. Scientists believe that the tree is more than one and a half thousand years old. Its diameter is 11.62 meters, height - thirty-five meters.

I have described in detail about the most incredible trees on the planet. But life does not stand still and it’s time for the second part of the story about the most unusual and interesting trees on our planet.

Baobabs of the island of Madagascar


Baobab is national symbol the island of Madagascar, and is also depicted on the coats of arms of Senegal and the Central African Republic. There are 10 species of baobabs in the world. This is a very amazing tree, interestingly, no one can accurately indicate the age of the tree. Since it does not have annual rings, these trees are long-lived and there are trees with an age of about a thousand years. Scientists say that these trees can live up to five thousand years. At first glance you can understand that this is very big tree with a respectable trunk size and height (the trunk is up to 11 meters wide, up to 25 meters high, and the crown spreads branches up to 40 meters in diameter).

Ficus, Philippines or we talked about it in sufficient detail in the article.

Young mangrove trees underwater


Mangrove trees are evergreen deciduous plants, settled on tropical and subtropical coasts and adapted to life in conditions of constant ebb and flow. They grow up to 15 meters and have bizarre types of roots: stilted (raising the tree above the water) and respiratory (pneumatophores), sticking out of the soil like straws and absorbing oxygen. Few plants would survive in salt water, but this is not the case with mangroves. They have developed filtering mechanisms. The water absorbed by their roots contains less than 0.1% salt. The remaining salt is released by the leaves through special leaf glands, forming white crystals on the surface.

Cypress trees, Caddo Lake


Caddo Lake – large lake in the USA, lying in eastern Texas on the border with Louisiana. This is a protected area that contains the largest cypress forests on the planet. The area of ​​the lake is about 106 square meters. km.

Wisteria, Japan


Wisteria, or, as it is also called, Wisteria, is widely used in decorative floriculture. Looking at the cascading green waterfalls of stems and long feathery leaves, densely covered with large clusters of blue, purple, white or pink delicately scented flowers, it is difficult to imagine that wisteria is the closest relative of peas and beans. But this is true, because this fragrant vine belongs to the legume family, and its fruits are elongated pods with seeds similar to lentils

Bottle trees of Socotra Island


Bottle tree This impression is correct, because the trunk of the bottle tree really has the shape of a pot-bellied bottle. The tree can reach 15 meters in height. As for the diameter of such a tree, it can be three meters. The tree grows in Eastern Australia and is very loved by the local population. When periods of drought occur, the leaves of the tree are used to feed livestock. But the bottle tree trunk is the source drinking water! In addition, in the upper part of the trunk, very sweet juice accumulates in special cavities. This is real nectar! The whole plant is used. Thus, bottle tree seeds are roasted or eaten raw. The roots of young trees are very juicy and are eaten as root vegetables.

, Hawaii

Dragon tree, Socotra island


Old Indian legend says that a long time ago in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra, there lived a bloodthirsty dragon who attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day an old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and wet the ground around them. In this place grew trees called dracaenas, which means “female dragon.” The dragon tree (or Dracaena dracaena) grows in
the tropics and subtropics of Africa and the islands of Southeast Asia. Socotra is one of six islands off the coast of Somalia in Indian Ocean where does this amazing plant grow?

Quiver tree, Namibia

Japanese maple


Japanese maples are extremely spectacular ornamental trees and shrubs. Even in winter, deciduous Japanese maples captivate the eye unusual shape a bare crown resembling a mushroom or an umbrella, and many thin fan-shaped branches. However, the peak beauty of Japanese maples occurs in autumn, when their leaves turn stunning bright colors: red, orange, gold...

Bibliographic description: Utebov M. S., Kiselev D. M., Borisova N. F. This amazing world. Unusual trees // Young scientist. 2015. No. 3. P. 168-173..02.2019).

On our planet you can find many unusual trees. Giant trees and dwarf trees, trees of immense thickness, trees many centuries old... With giant and small leaves and supporting roots, with trunks planted with strange flowers and terrifying thorns... But often it is not the plant itself that causes surprise, but the name that people came up with for it. Ten trees with such “unusual” names will be discussed in this article.

Rice. 1. Arbutus

The strawberry tree, or large-fruited strawberry, grows in the Mediterranean. The plant is ancient, therefore it has a very interesting view. The trunk is wide, but not round, but with protrusions that turn into root branches at the surface of the soil. One tree can have several trunks at once. This occurs when a large branch gradually buries itself into the ground and takes root there. The bark is reddish-gray. The leaves are small, oval. At 40 years old, this tree grows only up to 5 m, but there are also thousand-year-old specimens. The fruits appear in late summer. They are considered edible, although in principle they are not eaten.

Rice. 2. Banyan

What is it also called, tree-forest, has not one, but thousands of trunks! In its center is the main trunk, thick shoots grow from it, from these shoots branches stretch down, which, having reached the soil, take root. After this, they begin to grow in thickness, and subsequently the secondary trunks become similar to the main trunk, and new shoots emerge from them... This continues ad infinitum.

Rice. 3. Iron tree

Grows in relict deciduous forests Azerbaijan and the northern part of Iran in the lowlands and mountains (up to 700 m above sea level, sometimes higher), along the banks of rivers, streams, in gorges on heavily moist, rocky soils. The wood is dense, heavy, and sinks in water. Little elastic, very hard and durable, not susceptible to either an ax or a knife. A bullet fired from a pistol flies off its barrel. The wood of this tree can easily replace metal. But the bark is fragile. The cut is pink with a brown tint. It is used for the production of some machine parts, art products, and decorative plywood.

Rice. 4. Milk tree

Grows in Central and South America. The milk tree grows up to 30 meters in height. The roots are large, disc-shaped. The leaves are whole, large, leathery. The flowers are unisexual, collected in capitate inflorescences. The milk tree, like many other representatives of the mulberries, secretes milky juice, but, unlike the milky juices of other plants , it is non-poisonous, but quite edible and tasty. It consists mostly of water (57%) and vegetable wax (37%), with sugars and resins accounting for 5–6%. Unlike real milk, the milky sap of the milk tree has a thicker, viscous consistency and a balsamic aroma. This “milk” does not spoil within a week even in tropical climate, mixes well with water in any proportions without curdling. It is widely consumed by the local population as a substitute for cow's milk. When boiled, wax is released on its surface, which is used to make candles and chewing gum.

Rice. 5. Sausage tree

On the territory equatorial Africa On tall trees grow inedible fruits that closely resemble liverwurst. These trees are called kigelia, or “sausage” trees. Locals use sausage tree anything, but not for food. Its fruits are so hard that, if dried, they can serve as fuel. Jewelry, dishes and cups are made from the fruits. Sometimes the fruits are painted and hung from the ceiling as amulets. A red dye is prepared from a decoction of the fruit.

Rice. 6. Breadfruit

In Oceania, along with the coconut palm, which produces milk and oil, the breadfruit tree grows. Typically, breadfruit trees bear fruit within 70–75 years. The fruits of the Indian breadfruit tree are impressive - up to a meter in diameter! The branches would not withstand such a load, so the “loaves” grow directly on the trunk. There are 2 main varieties of breadfruit - “wild”, the fruits of which contain seeds, and cultivated, the fruits of which do not contain seeds. However, in the fruits cultural variety From time to time, ripened seeds are also found. Breadfruit is one of the most productive fruit plants; one tree bears from 150 to 700 fruits per year. In a favorable climate, breadfruit bears fruit continuously all year round; or rather, 9 months a year, and then 3 months “rest” - and so on for 60–70 years. Growth rate at favorable conditions 0.5–1.0 m per year.

Rice. 7. Cucumber tree

"Bilimbi" originates from the islands of Indonesia.

Its fruits are very reminiscent of cucumbers: the unripe fruit is bright green and crunchy, and the ripe fruit has juicy and sour pulp. A nodular succulent plant up to 7 m high with bare, slightly cone-shaped, swollen with milky sap, trunk and main branches. They are chalky white, similar to the legs of an elephant. The trunk can reach one meter in diameter. The trunk tissue is whitish fiber, which is easily cut with a knife. At the top, several short, thick branches lift up a sparse crown, consisting of thin prickly branches with large, hard, rough, wrinkled leaves with prickly edges, long petioles. The flowers are small, yellow, unisexual, on long pubescent pedicels, collected in sparse inflorescences. The fruits resemble cucumbers , strewn with thorns.

Rice. 8. Dragon tree

The dragon tree grows on Canary Islands. According to legend, it grew on the spot where Hercules killed the hundred-headed dragon. This tree secretes a red substance that is used in medicine. Tufts of very sharp leaves grow on its thick branches. A thick branched trunk up to 20 m high, a diameter at the base up to 4 m, and has secondary growth in thickness. Each branching branch ends in a dense bunch of densely arranged grayish-green, leathery, linear-xiphoid leaves 45–60 cm long and 2–4 cm wide in the middle of the plate, somewhat tapering towards the base and pointed towards the apex, with prominent veins. The flowers are large, bisexual, regular, with a corolla-shaped separate-deciduous perianth, in bunches of 4–8. Some trees live up to 7–9 thousand years.

Rice. 9. Soap tree

Grows in China, Korea, Japan.

In its homeland, the soap tree reaches 10 m. It blooms with magnificent rare yellow panicles up to 30 cm in length. The washing properties of the tree's fruits are due to the high content of saponins (up to 38%), which are also found in other parts of the plant. The plant is known to have a toxic effect on fish, protozoa and insects. The components of the plant are part of many medicines. Soap nuts are the fruits of the soap tree. The nuts are round, yellow-brown, have a diameter of 2–2.5 cm. They have a powerful cleaning power. Soap nuts are great:

- wash clothes in washing machine and during hand washing;

- wash dishes, including dishwashers;

- clean gold and silver jewelry;

 used when cleaning the house and for washing cars;

- repel mosquitoes and flies;

- soap nut emulsion serves as a fertilizer for house plants.

Rice. 10. Cheese tree

A shrubby plant, sometimes reaching the size of a tree (up to 6 m). The leaves are large, simple, shiny, dark green, with deep veins. The flowers are small, white, and grow from a fleshy structure. Blooms and bears fruit all year round. The fruits are oval, on average 4–7 cm, with numerous seeds inside, resembling a large potato in appearance. They are edible, but have an unpleasant bitter taste and a pungent odor reminiscent of moldy cheese - for this reason, some peoples call this plant a “cheese tree”. On the islands of Raratonga, Samoa, and Fiji, they are a staple food - they are used raw and for cooking. The roots produce a yellow dye that is used to dye clothes.

Literature:

1. Shipchinsky N.V. Strawberry tree - Trees and shrubs of the USSR. Angiosperms. Family Myrtaceae - Olive. - pp. 339–343. - 544 p. - 2200 copies.

2. https://ru.wikipedia.org/ Iron tree, Great Soviet Encyclopedia

The most unusual trees on our planet:

10. Bottle Tree

Location: Namibia
The Namibian bottle tree is one of the deadliest trees on Earth. The milky sap of the plant is highly poisonous and was used in the past by the Bushmen as a poison for arrowheads. The bottle tree was so named because of the shape of its trunk, in addition, this tree usually grows in the mountainous desert regions of Namibia, making its resemblance to a bottle uncanny. Flowers bottle tree were described as "beautiful". The flowers are usually pink or white, fading to dark red towards the center.

9. Wawona Tree


Location: USA
The Wawona tree, a former Sequoia tree, grew in Mariposa Grove in Yosemite. national park(Yosemite National Park), USA. After its fall, the tree was converted into a tunnel. A passage was carved into the tree in 1881 and it has been a popular tourist attraction ever since. The Wawona tree fell in 1969 due to a large mass of snow accumulating on its top. The estimated age of this sequoia is 2,300 years.

8. Baobab


Location: Madagascar
This magnificent trees, endemic to Madagascar, over 1000 years old. Baobab is an endangered tree species. Many trees of this species reach more than 80 meters in height, and their trunks grow up to 25 meters in girth. The swollen trunks of baobab trees are a source of water, supplying it during the dry season. Baobab flowers only bloom for 24 hours. These flowers are depicted on the Madagascar 100 franc banknote.

7. Bombaxes (Silk Cotton Trees) Ta Prohm (Ta Prohm)


Location: Cambodia
These trees are very difficult to find and there are only specific place, where you can see them while traveling around southeast asia. Trees are the most distinctive feature Temple "Ta Prokhm" Bombax roots entwine ancient temple, and the trees themselves grow to impressive heights. No less stunning Ficus Stranglers can also be found near the temple. The temple itself is included in the UNESCO list as one of the World Heritage Sites.

6. Hyperion


Location: California, USA
Hyperion is a Californian sequoia and the most tall tree in the world. Trees typically live for about 1200-1800 years. Hyperion reaches 115.5 meters in height and almost 9 meters in diameter. This means that Hyperion is 5 stories taller than the Statue of Liberty. It is estimated that about 95% of all redwoods have been cut down, and the giant trees are now protected as “vulnerable.”

5. Peach Palm (Pejibaye Palm)

Location: Costa Rica and Nicaragua
This tree is characteristic of the Central and South America, although it is native to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The peach palm is armed with rows of black, sharp thorns that are arranged in rings along the entire trunk from the roots to the top of the tree. Typically this palm tree grows to about 20 meters. The leaves reach 3 meters in length. Native Americans typically ate the fruits of this palm after they had fermented, and it formed a large part of their diet. The fermented fruit of the peach palm remains a popular delicacy to this day.

4. Crooked forest of the city of Gryfino


Location: Poland
IN Western Poland, near the town of Gryfino, you can find about 400 of these strange trees. It is believed that these trees were twisted by human intervention, although their purpose remains a mystery. Some believe that they were intended for making bent wooden furniture, ribs for boat hulls, or used to make yokes for ploughs, pulled by oxen. Be that as it may, the outbreak of World War II forced those who grew them to abandon these trees and now they are a mystery.

3. Baobab Sunland


Location: South Africa
The Sunland Baobab is a tree located near Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo Province, South Africa, that has been turned into a bar. The tree is naturally hollow and in 1933, a small bar was opened in it, capable of seating 15-20 people. This is one of the tallest baobab trees in South Africa, and, obviously, the most wide tree throughout Africa. The tree reaches 4 meters in girth and 20 meters in height. It is also one of oldest trees in the world, as it is over 6000 years old!

2. Burmis tree


Location: Canada
The Burmis tree is a soft pine tree native to Alberta, Canada. The tree is unusual in that it died in the 1970s but is still standing without any signs of rot. It is estimated that he was 600-750 years old at the time of his death. The tree was blown down in 1998, but local residents put it back up. A few years later, vandals broke one of the branches, and local residents again came to the rescue, securing the branch back. The Burmis tree is one of the most photographed trees in the world.

1. Tree of Life


Location: Bahrain
This tree, 9.75 meters high, is approximately 400 years old. The tree is unusual in that it is located in the desert and is the only growing tree for miles around, and it has no access to water. The mesquite tree's root system extends deep underground. It is believed that this is how the tree obtains water, however, it still remains a mystery. If you search for this tree on " Google Earth", you can see how distant it is. The tree is a major tourist attraction and is visited by 50,000 people annually. Local residents believe that the Garden of Eden was located here. The Tree of Life is protected by UNESCO and is included in the list of World Heritage Sites.