Remarkable trees

Who doesn't love trees? And every so often I come across a truly remarkable example.

This one popped up recently, pointed out to me by my good friend Ali Rowan. I'm not sure where it is or who took the photo but it's a fantastic example of resilience.

There is a beautiful natural tree arch that I walk under most days formed of a cherry tree bowed over by the weight of ivy.

There was another arch until a couple of years ago when the storms brought it down. I tell the whole story in a previous blog post here. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world there are trees that walk.

Socratea exorrhiza is a species of palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. The tree has curious stilt roots that hold the trunk off the ground. The tree then 'walks' from shade to sunlight by growing roots in the direction it wants to travel, and then allowing the old roots to lift into the air and die. Some say the process takes a couple of years, while one paleobiologist suggests the tree moves two or three centimetres per day. The story of the walking palm has been shared by rainforest guides for years.

Writing in the journal of The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation in 1980, Dr. John H Bodley reported that the palm uses its roots to 'walk away' from its germination point if another tree falls on the seedling and knocks it over. This way, the tree can move away from obstacles that are major hazards for immature palms. 

However, other scientists insist the walking palm is a myth. We probably need someone to set up a trail camera for a year or so.

And this is not the only walking tree. 

Banana trees can actually walk up to 40cm during their life. However, this is because of the way they’re cultivated rather than it being a natural phenomenon. When bananas are grown so we humans can enjoy them (or even the odd wild animal), two shoots are used. One of the shoots is used right away, and the other is left to grow so it will yield a berry in about 7 months. What’s interesting is the shoots grow along the ground as opposed to down thus the movement in the whole plant.