Botany - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Botnst · #16 06-04-2007, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

OK Bot, I have a question for you.

What's the name of the tree with thorn-like spines growing out of its bark.

These trees grow relatively high. their branches are widely spaced and are almost horizontal to the ground.

They also have a long, bulbous like "fruit" hanging from the ends of the branches. The fruits are fairly large. When they fall from the tree and hit the ground you can see a white, feathery-like "stuff" inside the fruit.

There are several of these trees near where one of my daughters lives and a band of wild city-parrots has taken up residence in the tree, eating from its fruit.

I wish I had a pic of the tree, it would make ID that much easier.

Thanks.

Interesting description. What city does your daughter live in?

Leaf? Flower? Bark? height? Fruit? Seeds?

B

BENZ-LGB · #17 06-04-2007, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

Interesting description. What city does your daughter live in?

Leaf? Flower? Bark? height? Fruit? Seeds?

B

Los Angeles, but I do not think that the trees are indigenous to this area.

I don't recall what the flowers look like.

Bark is thorny, with sharp, short and very hard thorns growin in rings around the circumference of the tree.

Very tall trees, over 40' tall, although I am not sure that this is their max. height.

The fruits are the aforementioned long, pendulous "things." The parrots appear to love eating the insides. The insides of the fruit contain a downy, white feather-like filling (I've only seen the ones that actullay drop to the ground, so there may be seeds, or even meat, inside the fruits that the parrots eat before the fruits fall.

I was thinking that the tree may be related to the ceiba family. We had one in our backyard in Cuba, but his one does not seem to be as thick around the trunk as ours was.

Bar --

Mistress · #18 06-04-2007, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

I thought folks might appreciate the study of plants rather than looking at half-nekkid women.

Bot

You got these from that book "Let's Have Fun With Food" didn't you? Don't forget to include Georgia O'Keefe and Joel Peter Witkin in your Botany lesson.

Botnst · #19 06-04-2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

Los Angeles, but I do not think that the trees are indigenous to this area.

I don't recall what the flowers look like.

Bark is thorny, with sharp, short and very hard thorns growin in rings around the circumference of the tree.

Very tall trees, over 40' tall, although I am not sure that this is their max. height.

The fruits are the aforementioned long, pendulous "things." The parrots appear to love eating the insides. The insides of the fruit contain a downy, white feather-like filling (I've only seen the ones that actullay drop to the ground, so there may be seeds, or even meat, inside the fruits that the parrots eat before the fruits fall.

I was thinking that the tree may be related to the ceiba family. We had one in our backyard in Cuba, but his one does not seem to be as thick around the trunk as ours was.

Bar --

Something akin to Ceiba (Family = Bombacaceae) sounds like a good guess.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/malabar.html

B

Mistress · #20 06-07-2007, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

I don't know what it says about plant people, but I think we're in the same email chain somewhere along the way

more like the same food chain.

Larry Delor · #21 06-07-2007, 07:37 PM

Is it a Kapok tree?

Botnst · #22 06-07-2007, 07:51 PM

definitely Ceiba. I don't know enough to know if it is the legendary kapok.

To me, the Ceiba is the most magnificent tropical tree in the New world. I saw them along the Rio Negro near Iquitos Peru, plank roots 2-3m tall and 10 meters long, the girth above the plank root perhaps 2.5 meters, the semmetrical trunk silvery with water and slowly tapering way, way up, projected far above the normal forest canopy, the Ceiba canopy opened like a giant umbrella, dwarfing the rain forest below. Curiously, the trees are deciduous, loosing all of their leaves and standing starkly naked with their great branches spread leafless over the forest. A tree God!

Someday I'll go back. The most beautiful forest I've ever seen, I want to see it again before it is all gone.

B