Precious Trees
February 27th 2009 01:47
I know next to nothing about art (or trees, for that matter), but there is a sculptural appeal to trees that often has me putting my battered, little camera to more work than usual.
Among the tree collection in the Royal Botanic Gardens are ones planted around its establishment some 200 years ago, and other trees which are rare in the wild and difficult to collect today. Shown here is a very small fraction of the trees you’ll find in the 30 hectare Gardens.*
Dragon’s-blood tree
(Dracaena Draco)
Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde Islands.
Family: DRACAENACEAE
According to Wikipedia, this tree requires about ten years to reach 1m! Branching only occurs when the tree flowers, which is less than annually. Apparently, the tree’s age can only be estimated using the number of branch-forking occurrences as they do not have annual rings.
Paperbark tree
(Melaleuca quinquenervia)
The Cadigal used the soft bark as sleeping mats, for lean-to shelters, for dressing wounds and for wrapping delicate objects – like newborn babies.
Black Booyong, Black Jack
(Heritiera actinophylla)
Queensland, New South Wales north of Gloucester.
Family: STERCULIACEAE
Mexican Bald Cypress
(Taxodium mucronatum)
Mexico, far south of Texas, western Guatemala
Family: CUPRESSACEAE
Some more pictures of random trees in the Gardens:
*Botanic Gardens Trust website
**unless otherwise specified, tree names and other additional information came from signs in the Gardens
Among the tree collection in the Royal Botanic Gardens are ones planted around its establishment some 200 years ago, and other trees which are rare in the wild and difficult to collect today. Shown here is a very small fraction of the trees you’ll find in the 30 hectare Gardens.*
Dragon’s-blood tree
(Dracaena Draco)
Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde Islands.
a closer view
According to Wikipedia, this tree requires about ten years to reach 1m! Branching only occurs when the tree flowers, which is less than annually. Apparently, the tree’s age can only be estimated using the number of branch-forking occurrences as they do not have annual rings.
Paperbark tree
(Melaleuca quinquenervia)
The Cadigal used the soft bark as sleeping mats, for lean-to shelters, for dressing wounds and for wrapping delicate objects – like newborn babies.
Black Booyong, Black Jack
(Heritiera actinophylla)
Queensland, New South Wales north of Gloucester.
Family: STERCULIACEAE
Mexican Bald Cypress
(Taxodium mucronatum)
Mexico, far south of Texas, western Guatemala
Family: CUPRESSACEAE
Some more pictures of random trees in the Gardens:
The branches droop to the ground, forming a tent of dappled shade.
Multiple roots or multiple trunks?
*Botanic Gardens Trust website
**unless otherwise specified, tree names and other additional information came from signs in the Gardens
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