|
Adansonia digitata, baobab, dead rat tree. Tree from tropical
Africa with palmately lobed leaves and much enlarged trunk. The Kenyans say the devil
planted this tree upside down because of the monstrous appearance with its swollen,
bottle-shaped trunk and short dumpy branches sticking up in the air like thick roots. A
trunk circumference of 62 feet has been reported in this species. Several trees in Africa
are reckoned to be about 5,000 years old. The fragrant white flowers are about 6 inches
across and are pollinated by bats. The 6 - 18 inch long fuzzy fruits are on long stalks
giving the appearance of a hanging dead rat. |
|
Bombax ceiba, red silk cotton tree. Large tree from tropical
Asia with prickly trunk and palmate leaves bearing 3-7 leaflets. The common name refers to
hairs (similar to but inferior to kapok) associated with the seeds. |
 |
Pachira aquatica, Guiana chestnut, Malabar chestnut. Tree from
tropical S America. The fruit is woody, 4 - 12 inches long, and contains rounded seeds
that are edible raw or roasted. |
 |
Pseudobombax ellipticum, bombax. Tree from tropical America with
showy flowers having conspicuous scarlet or white stamens, often flowering when the tree
is bare. |
 |
Ochroma pyrimidale, balsa wood. |
 |
Durio zibethinus, durian. This is one of the most highly prized of tropical
fruits, at least in indonesia where it is used to flavor a variety of foodstuffs,
including ice cream. Presumably it is an acquired taste as it has a very heavy odor that
is disagreeable to most who encounter it for the first time. |
