Trees are some of the Earth’s most abundant vegetation, with approximately 100,000 different species known to science. They clean our soil, protect land from erosion, provide crucial habitat and sustenance for millions of species, and give us the very essence of life by producing oxygen, just to name a few of their important roles on our planet. But outside of being essential to the existence of life, trees are simply beautiful and inspiring to behold. Many trees on Earth have been around for thousands of years, with the oldest known tree thought to over 5,000 years old! Trees come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, some that challenge our perception of reality and possibility. Here are 5 of the most outstanding trees you’ll find on our little blue planet.
1. Baobab Tree
The enormous baobab tree can be found in Australia, Africa, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and Madagascar. Although many of these trees are said to be thousands of years old, their lack of growth rings, which scientists use to determine the age of a tree, presents a challenge in verifying this claim. The most incredible feature of the baobab is its water storage capacity of up to 32,000 gallons, which helps it survive in very arid regions through long periods of drought.
2. Silk Cotton Tree
Silk cotton trees are native to western Africa, northern Australia, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and subtropical regions of East Asia, although they can also be found throughout the Caribbean and Americas. This species is among the largest trees of their region, with large root structures that can completely overtake a building, as we see in this image. The silk cotton tree produces husks containing seeds encompassed in a cottony fiber, which cover the ground in a fluffy layer when they fall.
3. Dragon Tree
The dragon tree hails from Africa, with a few species found in Asia and tropical Central America as well. The genus Dracaena comprises 40 species of succulent trees and shrubs, with smaller species even being popular as houseplants. The rooted stem cuttings of the Dracaena sanderiana are sold in US markets as “lucky bamboo” plants, and are very popular for ornamental use. The name of the tree comes from the blood-red resin that seeps from the Dracaena draco when cut.
4. Pirangi Cashew Tree
The Pirangi cashew tree has the distinction of being the largest of its species in the entire world, located in Pirangi do Norte, Brazil. From the ground, it looks like many different trees, but it is indeed one organism. The branches of the Pirangi cashew tree grew in an outward direction, and their own weight causes them to bend to the ground, where new roots are plunged into the earth below it. It has a circumference of 500 meters, and produces 60,000 fruits every year.
5. Tree of Tule
The Tree of Tule (Arbol del Tule) is a Montezuma cypress located in Oaxaca, Mexico, and it has the stoutest trunk of any tree in the world, measuring 119 feet in circumference. Based on growth rates, the scientific estimate for the age of the tree is between 1,433 – 1,600 years old. DNA testing has proven that the massive tree is in fact a single tree, though others have contended that it is more than one. Sadly, the tree has been slowly dying since 1990 due to pollution, heavy traffic from a nearby freeway, and water shortages, all of which have caused permanent damage to its roots.
Featured Image from Graphic Node/Unsplash
