The most unusual trees in the world: description, interesting facts. These amazing trees Amazing trees of Russia

Today we want to bring to your attention the most unusual trees growing on our earth. As you know, the most common plant on our planet that deserves a special place in our lives is a tree. There are more than 100,000 species of them growing on our land. Where and how a person just does not use it, but we pay attention to the trees around us only if they differ in some way from their neighbors either in size or in bizarre shapes or flowers and fruits.

  • Dragon tree (Dracaenacinnabari) or more precisely cinnabar-red dracaena. It grows on the island of Socotra. Outwardly, this miracle of nature resembles an umbrella turned inside out with a green hat of foliage and a massive trunk. The height of an adult tree is 10 m. The dragon tree got its name because of the resinous red juice. Flowers near the tree appear during the monsoon rains in the form of branched panicles.

  • Australian baobab - "Bottle tree" or Adansonia Gregory (Adansonia Gregorii), named for its resemblance co glass containers- a bottle. It grows in the mountains of Namibia, its milky juice 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 the Sequoia National Park, California, USA in the Sierra Nevada mountain range (Sierra Nevada, California). The height of the long-lived sequoia "General Sherman" (GeneralSherman), according to different estimates about 2800 years old, is 83 meters, trunk girth is more than 24 meters, crown circumference is about 33 meters. But what is the most interesting tree is still growing and increasing 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 is about two meters, and the length is more than 30 meters, but this incident did not affect its status as “The Most big tree world" growing in our time. But the most tall 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 on our planet.


  • Madagascar baobab or Adansonia Grandidieri (Adansonia Grandidieri), a mighty tree about 80 meters high and about 25 meters in girth, grows on the island of Madagascar. Some specimens of baobabs have been growing for over 1000 years. Smooth and smooth trunk baobab accumulates a large amount of water in itself, therefore it easily tolerates drought. The white flowers of the baobab, although they are short-lived when flowering, having bloomed, live only for a day, but they have been awarded the attention of the treasury of Madagascar. On the 100-franc note they are depicted, the flowers of the Madagascar baobab.


  • Baobab Sunland (Sunland) of South Africa, located near Modjadjiskloof, the tree is hollow inside, so in 1933 it was equipped with a mini bar for 15-20 seats. The tree itself is not tall, about 20 meters, but its age is simply impressive, it is over 6000 years old.

  • Tree of Life, Bahrain. Among the big desert, one single green tree 9.75 meters high lives just in extreme conditions for over 400 years now. The locals 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 has taken 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 - a tree, 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 bright salad, young bark. Over time, the bark roughens and dulls, turning 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 like cannonballs in South America 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 have stuck around almost the entire trunk of the tree. But getting close to it, and even more so standing under it, is dangerous, there is a risk of being hit by an impressive core.

  • Great Banyan or Ficus Bengal, this is a tree that has the largest crown area, it grows in the Indian botanical garden in the city of Khauri. Looking from the side at this green miracle of nature, you will not immediately understand that in fact it is not a grove or a shady oak forest, but one tree. This handsome man has another name "Forest Tree", as it has not one, but several thousand trunks at once. It is about 250 years old and occupies a rather impressive area of ​​1.5 hectares and has 3300 aerial roots.

Able to present amazing surprises to a person. They will be discussed below.

To date, more than 60,000 species of trees are known. Among them there are bread, dairy, soap and even sausage trees. From this article you will learn a lot of interesting facts about the most unusual trees that grow in different places on our planet.

Breadfruit

One of the most unusual trees is breadfruit. It grows in tropical countries, however, its homeland is New Guinea and the territory of Oceania. They learned about it only in the 17th century thanks to English sailors.

Sailors watched with surprise as the indigenous people eat the fruits of an unusual tree instead of bread. Then the sailors took the seedlings amazing plant and planted them in their regions.

However, nothing good came of it. In the 18th century, it was successfully bred in Jamaica. Fruit this plant became one of the main products that fed the slaves.

The breadfruit tree has a strong trunk and an extensive crown. It grows rapidly and can reach a height of 25 meters. The length of the fruit is about 30-35 centimeters, and the weight is about 4-5 kg.

Outwardly, they are somewhat similar to melons and have a pimply surface. They grow in clusters, both on the trunk and at the base of large branches. Inside them is a sweet pulp.

Breadfruit is able to go without water for several months, and also withstand heat up to 40 degrees Celsius.

An interesting fact is that this unusual tree can bear fruit for 9 months a year. Every year, about 600-700 fruits are harvested from one tree, for as long as 70 years.

As mentioned earlier, breadfruit is used in cooking: they are boiled, fried, ground into flour or eaten raw.

They taste somewhat like potatoes.

However, they spoil rather quickly, so they have to be eaten within a short period of time. But if you make crackers out of them, they will be stored for quite a long time.

The Samoans invented interesting way preservation of this "bread": they wrap the fruits in banana leaves, and then simply bury them in the soil.

Soon, they begin to ferment, turning into an alcohol-containing mass, which allows them not to deteriorate for a long time.

The remaining parts of this tree are also widely used on the farm: its leaves are fed to livestock, and the seeds are fried.

milk tree

The milk tree is an extremely unusual tree. It is also called "brosium" or "cow tree". Today it can be seen in the South and Central America as well as in Asian countries.

Often it grows up to 30 meters in height. The very name of the tree suggests that it produces juice, for which it is actually grown. Unlike other plants, its milk is not poisonous, but rather healthy and pleasant to the taste.

Outwardly, this juice resembles ordinary milk, only it is thicker and has a peculiar aroma. Even in the hottest time, the milk does not deteriorate up to a whole week, if it is first boiled over a fire.

The first Europeans to learn about the milk tree were the Spanish conquerors. Arriving at their home, they talked about a marvelous tree that can be milked. An incision is made on the trunk, and a vessel is placed under it, where this unusual juice actually flows. At one time, you can collect 3-4 liters of milk.

Local natives drink such juice in the same way as we drink cow's or goat's milk. In addition, wax can be obtained from it, suitable for the manufacture of candles and chewing gum.

Candleberry

Candle tree or parmentiera edible, so named because of the unusual shape of its fruit. Besides the fact that they look like candles, they also contain oil, which makes them burn very well.

Candle tree grows in tropical jungle. People have learned to use it for medical purposes.

Soapberry

An unusual soap tree grows in tropical forests Asia and America. In that interesting plant, and especially in its fruits, contains many saponins - substances with detergent properties. Once upon a time, Indians successfully bleached fabric with the bark of this tree.

Today, the soap tree is widely used in cosmetology. Its seeds are extremely hard, so rosaries and various wooden ornaments are made from them.

Its fruits are called soap nuts, as they may well serve as a substitute for washing powder. They are absolutely hypoallergenic, do not smell, and also do not cause any harm to the environment.

sausage tree

Sausage tree or kigelia, grows in African countries. It grows up to 10 m and has a spreading crown. Large flowers and unusual fruits grow on it, having the shape of a sausage 50-60 cm long. In Europe, they learned about this tree only a couple of centuries ago.

Interestingly, sausage trees grow only singly and never next to each other. With the onset of heat, they shed their leaves to save water, and with the advent of the rainy season, leaves reappear on their branches.

IN daytime unusual flowers are completely closed, and with the sunset they open, showing their scarlet inflorescences. The disadvantage of these flowers is only their unpleasant smell, which is necessary to attract pollinators.

Before eating the fruits of this unusual tree, they must be subjected to heat treatment, as they are very poisonous. An interesting fact is that the locals have learned to make an alcoholic drink out of them.

The fruits have an incredibly hard skin. So, in order to get seeds from them, it is necessary to initially dry the fruit and only then split it with an ax.

African natives still use the sausage tree in, considering it for all diseases. Its fruits are used to treat ulcers, snake bites, syphilis and are used to treat wounds.

Doctors confirm that the fruits of the unusual Kigelia tree actually have antibacterial properties, which is why they are widely used today in the production of various cosmetics.

With a long cooking of the fruits of the sausage tree, you can get red paint. Africans dye fabrics with it, and also apply it to the skin as war paint.

From the trunks of kigelia already for a long time make canoes, as well as some musical instruments.

To the unusual sausage tree representatives of the animal world are also not indifferent. For example, its seeds are very fond of - flowers, and monkeys and - leaves.

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The natural world amazes us with its diversity. And sometimes any trip to an ordinary forest ends with interesting discoveries for some. 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. Also sequoias, baobabs or silk trees may appear to us. Therefore, in order to show all the tree diversity of our planet, the site has compiled a selection of ten of the most incredible and amazing trees.

Amazing dragon tree

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

Amazing dragon tree

The tree has a characteristic thick trunk of an 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 upwards and it is at the top of the dragon tree that you can see pointed bunches of leaves. Moreover, their trunk can reach four meters in girth and rise twenty meters in height.

The unusual name of the tree gives the resinous juice that stands out when the bark is damaged. For their unusual properties- at first it has no color, and then it acquires a bloody color, due to a large number in the resin of the pigments of dracorubin and dracocarmine - it was called "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.

An 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 baobabs

Baobabs are perhaps one of the most famous trees in the world. African continent. Almost everyone recognizes 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 all over the world.

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

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

Another one interesting feature of these trees is that they are able to take root in almost any condition and, after cutting them down, can calmly “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 others 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, i.e., species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. The island itself is equidistant from the Arabian Peninsula and the African coast, so it has an arid climate. And just like their "colleagues" baobabs, they retain any liquid in their thick base.

These trees are much shorter than their Australian counterparts, but have the same stem lengthening 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 observe them during the flowering period - pink flowers appear on the branches, and the bark is filled with an incredible bronze tan. This period in the trees begins in February, so for those who want to see this extraordinary picture, it is worth flying to the island at the end of winter.

Giant Aloe - Quiver Tree

It's treelike evergreen grows in the Southwestern part of the African continent and is a tall thick trunk with branches branched at the end. This relative of all the homemade aloe we know reaches a height of nine meters.

It is now most commonly seen in Namibia. It is in this country, among the heaps of stone boulders, that this funny tree grows. It acquired its second name, the quiver tree, due to the fact that from its trunks African tribes made their own 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 knotty trunks have a rather picturesque appearance.

The oldest centenarians of the Earth - Bristlecone pines

Bizarre breaks in nature

Unusual trees grow in California, which "time itself is afraid of." We are talking 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 pyramid of Cheops.

Getting into such a forest, like never before, you understand how short human life. After all, even the youngest of these trees is already almost a thousand years old. The oldest tree in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is the Methuselah pine, which is already 4723 years old.

The Delightful Beauty of the Bristlecone Pine

These trees grow in an 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 a poor soil layer and low humidity. Moreover, this type of pine has one more rare feature. Due to the very low rate of regeneration and reproduction, the distribution of this species is very difficult.

The most positive tree is rainbow eucalyptus

Positive tree - rainbow eucalyptus

In a big family eucalyptus trees there is one variety, looking at which, you can instantly get a positive charge. It's about the rainbow eucalyptus. This majestic tree, which can rise, like all its brethren, to a height of up to seventy meters, has one indisputable 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 South-Eastern part of the Asian continent, and their homeland is the Philippine island of Mindanao. Such unusual beauty that nature writes on the trunk of the rainbow eucalyptus is explained by the process of peeling off the bark, which occurs at different intervals. And such a variety of colors, as it were, serves as an indicator of the time scale of the loss of the bark.

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

A fiery tree that surprises with its royal beauty

Delonix royal has long been considered one of the most the most beautiful views trees. And this is not accidental, since this, as it is still called the "fire tree" in the world, attracts everyone with its bright colors. This tree, like the baobab, which has already been written about above, comes from Madagascar.

Until the 17th century, only lemurs could admire it in the wilds of the deciduous forests of Madagascar. However, the curiosity of botanists led to the fact that they began to actively develop it in America. As a result, now it can be found throughout the American continent, and in Madagascar itself it has practically disappeared. This happened due to the fact that in addition to its unusual yellow-red flowering, it has another valuable property– from its dense wood, handicrafts of local residents are especially valuable. And it was they who became the culprits of the fact that in their homeland the Fire Tree is practically not known.

Delonix regalis a tropical plant and does not withstand long periods of drought. Therefore, it has received its distribution in the tropical islands of the Caribbean and in South American countries. However, if the right 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 as it is also called wisteria, 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 brightest deciduous vines, which differ from each other in colors.


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

Amazing Mangrove Trees

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

All of these trees are related to various types, 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 tropical plants. They grow in small tropical lagoons, where they stretch for tens of kilometers in a small strip along the sea bays.

The beauty of mangrove trees is most clearly visible underwater.

The mangrove trees also look original in their respiratory system. These trees have peculiar adventitious roots, through which the plant is supplied with oxygen.

They are especially beautiful during high tides. At this time, on the water, they seem to be a single leafy ocean wandering on the water. However, only lovers of scuba diving can observe the main beauties - it is under water that picturesque pictures appear, proving that it is not in vain that mangrove forests are included in the list of the most beautiful trees on Earth.

Ecology

Trees are known to be the lungs of our planet. Without these green representatives of the flora, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for mankind to exist on earth. Their diversity is amazing, and the uniqueness of some of them is fascinating. Below is a list of the most unusual green "lungs" of different countries peace.


1. Bottle tree. It grows in Namibia. This tree is one of the most dangerous plants on the ground. The deadly juice of the bottle tree has the consistency of milk. In the past, these poisonous wood secretions were used by Bushmen for arrowheads.


The tree grows in the mountainous regions of the deserts of Namibia. The striking resemblance to the bottle was the reason for this name. The flowers of this tree are amazingly beautiful in shape and color. Pale pink or white at the edges, they usually gradually turn into a rich red towards the center.

2. Wavon tree. This former Sequoia was formerly grown in small forest Mariposa Grove, located in Yosemite National Park, USA. After a strong hurricane, the sequoia fell down, then it was turned into a tunnel.


A passage was cut into the tree back in 1881, and since then it has been a popular attraction for tourists from all over the world. According to rough estimates, the sequoia is very ancient, its age is 2300 years.

3. Madagascar baobab. From the name itself, the habitat of this plant becomes clear. The trees are over a thousand years old. Baobab is officially listed in the Red Book as a rare endangered species. Some trees reach 80-90 meters in height, while the girth of the trunk is up to 25 meters.


During the dry seasons, swollen trunks of baobabs provide water for entire regions. Trees bloom for only 24 hours. The flower of the power tree of Madagascar was decided to be transferred to a denomination of 100 francs.

4. Bombaxes. These trees grow in Cambodia, but even there they are not everywhere, there are only certain places where they can be seen. Traveling through South-East Asia they can be found near the Ta Prohm temple. Tree roots seem to hug an ancient temple.


It is amazing that the trees grow to an impressive dizzying height. Strangler Ficuses grow not far from the same temple, which, like their neighbor trees, cover the walls of the temple. The temple building itself is included in the UNESCO list as one of the objects of "World Heritage Sites".

5. Hyperion is considered a California sequoia. This is the tallest tree in the world. Slender and graceful, it amazes with its beauty. Usually hyperions live about 1200-1800 years. The tree is very impressive in size. It reaches 115.5 meters in height and almost 10 meters in diameter.


From which we can conclude that Hyperion is as much as 5 floors higher than the famous Statue of Liberty. According to experts, about 95% of all sequoias died due to their cutting down. These days these amazing giant trees especially carefully protected as an endangered species.

6. Peach palm. This tree is often found in Central and South America. However, its official homeland is Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The peach palm tree looks very, very strange: rows of black sharp spikes, resembling cold weapons or hedgehog needles, encircle the entire trunk from the roots to the top of the tree.


Usually these trees grow up to about 20 meters. The leaves are also large and long, sometimes reaching 3 meters in length. The Indians used to eat the fruits of this palm tree. It was this kind of food that made up the bulk of the diet of Native Americans. If you think that this fruit was consumed exclusively in the Middle Ages, you are mistaken. The fermented fruit of the peach palm remains a favorite and popular delicacy to this day.

7. Crooked trees in the forest of the city of Gryfino. In Western Poland, near the town of Gryfino, more than 400 of these trees, unusual in shape and curves, grow. The reason why trees have such strange curves is still not exactly known. According to some assumptions, these trees were twisted due to human intervention, but why this was done remains a mystery.


Some believe that the tree hulls were used to make bent wooden furniture, parts for boat hulls, or were used to make ox-drawn plows or other agricultural implements. The outbreak of World War II caught those who grew these amazing trees by surprise, people had to rush to leave these trees, and now the story of their appearance in these forests is a mystery.

8. Baobab Sunland. The location of this tree is South Africa. Baobab Sunland is a tree that grows near Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo province, famous region South Africa. This woody plant has been turned into a bar. The baobab is completely hollow inside, which creates a natural space inside it.


In 1933, a small bar was opened in it, which can easily accommodate 15-20 people. This is one of the largest baobabs in South Africa, and in all likelihood the widest tree on the entire African continent. The tree reaches 4 meters in girth and 20 meters in height. In addition, the bar tree is one of the oldest plants in the world, over 6,000 years old.

9. Burmis tree. The Burmis tree is a soft pine that grows near the Canadian city of Alberta. What is unique about this tree? It is unusual in that it died more than 40 years ago in the 1970s of the last century. Surprisingly, it still stands without any signs of decay. According to experts, at the time of his death he was at least 600-750 years old.


In 1998, due to strong wind the tree was felled, but the locals picked it up and put it back in the position it had before the storm. Some time later, the hooligans broke one of the branches, and again the locals came to the rescue, they fixed the broken part of the branch back to its original place. The Burmis tree is one of the favorite attractions of tourists from all over the world. The tree is considered the most photographed.

10. And finally, the Tree of Life. The location of this amazing plant is Bahrain. This tree, reaching a height of almost 10 meters, is approximately 4 centuries old. It is unusual in that it grows in the desert and is the only tree growing in an area of ​​​​a few kilometers around. Surprisingly, he does not have access to water. The roots of this tree go deep underground.


Many believe that this is how the tree reaches the water, but people fail to solve this riddle to the end. The tree is one of the main tourist attractions. Every year, 50,000 people come here from many countries of the world to see this place. Locals believe that this is where the Garden of Eden was located. The Tree of Life is under the protection of UNESCO and, like Bombax, is included in the list of "World Heritage Sites".

All these trees are amazing in their appearance, age, and a number of other features. They perfectly characterize the area in which they grow. If you ever get the chance to see these countries, be sure to visit the places where the trees grow.

An innumerable number of amazing trees grow on the territory of our planet. We will introduce you to some of them in this article. We are all used to how the trees around us look like in everyday life, so if we see something unlike them, at first we can’t even believe that such unusual trees exist - but they exist, they grow beautifully where we are not and local residents taken for granted
Take, for example, the baobab - well, who among us in our right mind would call such a tree "ordinary"? Moreover, he does not even have rings to determine the age - scientists have to be content with the results of radiocarbon analysis when determining it.
No less interesting is another type of baobab, familiar to Madagascar landscapes - the teapot baobab. He is not separate view- any of the six species of baobab growing in Madagascar can take the form of a teapot or a bottle. What is the reason for this is unknown, but most likely in this way the trees take care of moisture, which is not so much in these latitudes.
Another interesting tree is the rainbow eucalyptus. The bark of this amazing tree literally attracts the eye - it seems as if some kind of artist "worked" here. By themselves, eucalyptus trees, even without "rainbow" bark, are amazing trees. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that the tallest trees ever found were eucalyptus trees. For example, one report from 1872 mentions a fallen eucalyptus that was over 150 meters high!

Another amazing tree that does not have growth rings is a dragon tree or just a dragon tree. Due to the red juice that immediately protrudes from the cut of the bark, it is also sometimes called the dragon's blood tree.
Special attention deserves cotton trees (ceibs) growing on the ruins of the ancient Cambodian temple complex Angkor Wat - their roots have long formed a single whole with the ancient stone buildings of the majestic temple Ceibs are interesting in and of themselves, not only in the context of a picturesque "symbiosis" with the ruins of an ancient temple. Their unusualness lies in the fact that, being essentially representatives of the family of palm trees, they grow mainly in the arid regions of the planet, and therefore their entire trunk and branches are covered with a dense layer of thorns, allowing them to retain the moisture necessary for life.
Sometimes there are such unusual trees that they are given their own names. This happens for a number of reasons - because of the enormous age, unusual appearance or colossal. One of these unusual trees is the Methuselah intermountain pine, discovered in 1953 in the Inyo National Forest in eastern California. The uniqueness of this pine tree lies in the fact that it is one of the oldest and still living trees in the world - according to experts, this year Methuselah turned 4842 years old. In order to prevent acts of vandalism and protect the pine, its exact location is not disclosed. Other ancient tree having given name, located in another North American state - South Carolina. We are talking about the 1500-year-old Angel Oak, growing in the wilderness of John's Island. The height of the oak is 20 meters, the diameter is 2.7 meters, and the most spreading branch reaches 27 meters in length. This oak received such an unusual name from the last names of the last owners of these lands - the Angel family.
Also noteworthy is the thickest tree in the world - the Tule Tree, growing next to one of the churches in the Mexican city of Santa Maria del Tule.
The tree belongs to the taxodium family, found only in Mexico, the girth of its trunk is 11.62 meters, the circumference of the trunk is 36.2 meters, and the Tule Tree reaches a height of 35.4 meters, although it used to be a little higher. According to different versions, it is from one and a half to six thousand years old.


The most ancient olive tree grows on the island of Crete - the Elijah Buibon tree. Despite the fact that it is already about 4 thousand years old, it, surprisingly, still continues to bear fruit.

And last but not least, I would like to dwell on, perhaps, the most unique of the trees known today - a relatively young, in comparison with the above centenarians, "only" a 400-year-old Tree of Life that grew in the middle of the desert in Bahrain, not far from the city of Jebel Dukhan . It seems amazing what huge tree survived and grew up in conditions of extremely scarce water supplies, and it still remains a mystery how miraculously he managed to do this ...



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