There are more than 100 thousand species of trees in the world. Depending on the nature of the terrain and climate, they grow tall or low, strewn with dense and large foliage or small needles. And there are also specimens that have outlandish edible fruits. Today we will tell you what unusual and rare trees of the world live on our planet.
Bottle tree
This is a native of Namibia. Unusual trees of the world are not always useful and pleasing to the eye. The bottle tree is one of the most poisonous plants on our planet. Its milky juice is extremely dangerous. Previously, the Bushmen used it as a powerful poisonous agent, with which they moistened arrowheads.
It got its name due to the unusual shape of the barrel - its resemblance to a bottle is amazing! The tree grows in the mountainous regions of the country. Its flowers are usually white or pink, which turns into a dark red towards the center.
Wavona Tree
What other unusual trees are there in the world? There are many of them, and one of them is Wawona (Wawona), which grew in the USA. This is a sequoia from the Mariposa Grove, located inone of the country's national parks. According to some reports, the giant tree is about 2100 years old. In 1969, it collapsed, unable to bear the weight of the snow on its crown. The height of the giant was 71.3 meters, the diameter of the trunk at the base was 7.9 meters. For environmental reasons, they decided to leave Uavona in place, since such a hulk is quite capable of creating its own mini-ecosystem for insects, small animals and many plants.
In 1981, a driveway was carved out of a huge tree. The tunnel turned out to be quite spacious: 2.1 meters wide, 2.7 meters high and 7.9 meters long. Since then, the amazing tree has become one of the attractions of the United States.
Bombbucks
These interesting trees of the world are quite hard to find. Most often they can be found in Mexico. They are a distinctive feature and attraction of the Ta Prohm temple. The mighty roots of the cotton tree entwine the ancient temple, and the height of the bombax grows up to 60-70 meters.
Peach palm
These amazing trees of the world grow in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. They are also found in South and Central America.
Peach palms have rows of sharp black thorns arranged in rings along the entire surface of the trunk - from the roots to the very top.
The plant reaches a height of 20 meters, and the leaves grow up to three meters in length. In the past, the natives used the fruits of this tree for food after they had fermented a little. But even today the fermented fruit of the palm treeremains a favorite treat.
Milky tree
Such unusual trees of the world grow in South and Central America. They were named so because of the milky juice, both externally and tasting reminiscent of cow's milk. It is tasty and he althy, contains vegetable wax, water, sugar. But more viscous and thicker than real milk.
To obtain a woody drink, an incision is made on the bark, to which a container is substituted. About 1 liter of juice is collected per hour. Unlike natural cow's milk, milky juice, even in the tropics, does not spoil within a week.
Trees of the World: Breadfruit
There are many unusual plants in Oceania. Along with the coconut palm, which gives butter and milk, the amazing breadfruit tree grows in this area. It bears fruit in "buns" weighing up to 12 kg. The pulp of oval fruits accumulates starch, which, as the fruits ripen, turns into dough. Ripe fruits of the tree, having a yellow-brown shell, are baked, and after that their taste resembles a slightly sweet wheat bread. By the way, raw pulp does not store well, but crackers do not spoil for a long time.
Candy tree
Often the trees of the world amaze not only with their unusual appearance, but also with amazing fruits. For example, in the forests of Southeast Asia, you can see sweet hovenia - a tree that looks like a linden, more than 15 meters high.
Its juicy and thick stems are half (47%) sucrose and taste like raisins with a hint of rum. In autumn, it is enough to shake the tree, like these fragrant "candies"fall in bunches. More than 35 kilograms are harvested from one Hovenia.
Candle tree
In the Panama Canal area, you can see real candles on the trees. The fruits of such plants contain a large amount of fat. Locals insert a wick into their middle and use them to illuminate their homes. It is important that the flame of these "candles" burns brightly and does not smoke at all.
Oil Tree
Agree, the trees of the world can surprise even the most experienced botanist. Take, for example, the unique oil tree (hanga) that grows in the Philippine Islands.
Its fruits contain almost pure oil. In recent years, a new technology has been developed in the country to use the fruits of this tree as a source of fuel for engines.
Soap tree
But the natives of America were able to solve the problem with detergents with the help of soap trees. Sapindus grows on the Florida peninsula. By lightly rubbing its ripe fruits, you will get a rich soapy suds. It should be noted that the locals do not use any other soap.
Quilaya, growing on the western slopes of the Andes, is covered with a bark containing saponin, a substance that creates soap suds. Items washed with this bark will not fade or shed.
Keppel tree
In India, another amazing tree grows - keppel. Its fruits are so fragrant that the person who tastes them, sweat takes on the smell of violets.
These apple-sized fruits are covered with thick skin and are sweet and juicy.pulp. They taste like mangoes and grapes. Grow on a tree trunk in small groups (several pieces).
The most beautiful trees in the world
The flora of our planet is very diverse, its representatives cannot be counted. Trees, shrubs, flowers… Dwarfs and giants, useful and not very useful, beautiful and nondescript in appearance - all of them are certainly interesting and worthy of attention. Now we are interested in the most beautiful tree in the world. According to experts, it grows in the park of the city of Tochigi (Japan). This is a wisteria planted in 1870.
Its branches are supported so that they form a flower umbrella. From mid-April to mid-May, unusually beautiful flowers can be seen on the wisteria.
Albizia
The trees of the world, photos of which you can see in our article, amaze with their diversity. Albizia, or sleeping tree, is a large plant belonging to the legume family. Its height is about 12 meters. The tree has a spreading umbrella-shaped crown. Distributed in Transcaucasia and Central Asia.
Rare trees
The oldest tree on Earth is the Methuselah pine. Its age is over 4850 years. It got its name in honor of the Biblical hero, who was considered the main centenarian in the world.
This tree grows in the United States, more precisely, in the White Mountains. The exact place where the pine grows is known only to botanists who monitor it. Such secrecy is explained by the desire to protect this old-timer fromvandals. Many tourists go to the mountains to find a relic, but their attempts usually fail.
Methuselah Pine is not just a tree, it is a symbol of eternity. It seems dead, but at the same time, each of its branches is full of life.
Tree of Life
Probably the loneliest tree in the world. And the only one growing in the sands of the desert of Bahrain.
The "Tree of Life", or "Hajarat al-Hayah" (Shajarat al-Hayah), as the locals call this unique one, turned 400 years old, but the most interesting thing is not its age or that it is very rare instance. Scientists cannot understand how the acacia managed to live for several centuries in the desert, completely without water, while exuding life energy.
Dragon tree
This amazing tree grows on one of the Canary Islands. Scientists believe that he is from 650 to 1500 years old. It consists of several trunks that tightly wrap around each other and grow upwards. The dragon tree is crowned with a canopy of dense foliage. It was named so because of the resin that is released when the leaves or bark are cut. Locals believe that this is the blood of a dragon that has dried up. This resin is used to treat various diseases.
Tule Tree
This is a very large tree belonging to the species Taxodium mexico that grows in the city of Oaxaca (Mexico). It has the largest girth of the trunk (58 meters). Its age is about 2000 years. Previously, many argued that this is not one tree, but three, fused together. But all doubts disappeared after the analysis. It was found to be one plant. Perhaps this is the most unusual tree in the world. His photo can be seen in many biology textbooks and, of course, on this page.
In 1994, the leaves of the relic turned yellow, and the branches began to dry out. Scientists decided that the tree was dying, but when it was examined by specialists in wood diseases, it turned out that this giant simply did not have enough moisture.
Sri Maha Bodhi Tree
The Bodhi tree has an unusual structure: it has a huge dome and aerial roots hanging down to the ground. To see this amazing plant with your own eyes, you will have to go to Sri Lanka and visit the temple in Bodhgaya. This representative of the plant world is allegedly named after the Hindu merchants who sold goods while sitting under it, but, according to another version, it was not at all like that. Bodhi is believed to have grown from the sprout of a sacred tree under which the great Buddha attained Enlightenment in the 6th century BC.
