Although botanical gardens and national parks are not particularly popular with tourists, there can often be found quite unusual plants, each of which has its own interesting history.
Monkey-puzzle (Monkey Puzzle Tree), Chile and Argentina
An evergreen tree of a very strange kind. Its long branches are covered with leaves like thorns, so tough and prickly, that, they say, even birds do not sit on them. Some specimen reach a height of 60 meters (with the diameter of the trunk up to 2 meters) and live for thousands of years. Scientists assume that the area of the propagation of araucaria in Chile coincided with the settlements of Indian tribes who once lived there. In other words, there is a hypothesis that the natives of South America deliberately cultivated the tree from its fruits. Huge bumps, weighing 2-3 kg, 200-300 contain large seeds 4-5 cm long, that taste like pine nuts. However, it is not necessary to go to the other ends of the world to look at this plant.
General Sherman, Sequoia National Park, California, United States
Giant sequoia with the height of 84 meters, growing in the National Park in northern California, won even its own title- in honour of the most talented general of the Civil War in the United States, Sherman. The diameter of the bottom of the trunk of this giant reaches 11 meters and is considered to be the largest tree in the world by volume of wood, which is almost one and a half thousand cubic meters. Scientists believe that the tree was born into the world before Christ, estimating its age to be some 2300-2700 years.
Methuselah, White Mountains, California, United States
Here, in California, you can find also the oldest tree in the world. This spinals pine, which received its name in honor of the Biblical character, famous for his longevity, according to the estimates of the scientists break its six thousand years old record in 2168. However, the tree is not to be found easily. Its exact location is known only to the foresters. All others can only guess which one of the giant pines of the park is the oldest among the living.
The giant fir, McMillan Park, Vancouver Island, Canada
Another great conifer, fir, can be found on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia. The gaunt trunks of giant fir reach an altitude of 100 meters in diameter and some of 9 meters. However, all the trees on the island seem to be overgrown. All growing coniferous and deciduous species here appear to be several times more than their congeners growing on the mainland. They say the soft and moist local climate contributes to it.
Insectivorous plants, botanical gardens world
There is a great number of carnivorous plants in the world. What unites them is the way of hunting: lured by the sweet smell the insect creeps into the flower filled with fluid, and remains there forever, gradually dissolving and giving nutrients to its murderer. It is possible to meet these plants in almost any greenhouse or botanical garden of the world, in nature their main habitats are the wet steppes and swamps of the tropics and subtropics.
Rafflesia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Giant flowers reaching meters in diameter and sometimes weighing more than 10 kg, were first discovered on the island of Sumatra. In fact, all the plant is a single flower, as it does not have any roots or stems or leaves. Throughout its life, it parasitizes on the host, usually tropical lianas. Attempts to reach flowering in botanic gardens rarely ended successfully, and is rather a purely scientific interest. The point is that from the time of sowing the seeds until budding 3-4 years run and then another year and a half is required for the flower smelling of rotten meat to blossom finally, and the life of which is only two to three days.
Water lily Victoria Gardens Kew (London), New York Botanical Garden
Originally from the shallow waters of the Amazon, this type of water lily, named in honour of Queen Victoria, lived in the great botanical gardens of Great Britain and the United States. Some leaves of the giant plants can grow to three meters in diameter and retain a weight of up to 40 kg. Interestingly, its quite large, up to half of the diameter flowers on the first day of blooming remain all white, but almost overnight, acquire a pink tint.
Ficus Bengal, India, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean
The tree, which can only appear in a nightmarish dream about the invasion of the Earth by monstrous tree-like newcomers with lots of tentacles, is easy to see at first hand. The plant with a crown, with branches that hang like aerial roots, rarely reaching the earth, can hold an area of several hectares. For the sake of justice it is worth noting that at a closer view the twisted and stiff roots resemble more a rather quaint and attractive design than the tentacles of a giant octopus.
Bodhi Tree, Bodh-Gaya, India
Probably the most respected and most visited tree in the world grows in India, in Bihar State, in the Buddhist Mahabodhi temple. According to the legend, it is at this point that Prince Siddhartha once attained enlightenment and became Buddha. Of course, the first plant is not preserved. The tree now growing in the temple is a descendant of the original tree once taken to Sri Lanka. According to the Buddhist tradition, a similar tree should grow on the territory of any sanctuary.
those are some sweet plants
Consider grow a Pet TickleMe Plant from seeds to getting one of the many TickleMe Plant kits if you are a nature lover. The TickleMe Plant will close its fern like leaves like magic when you Tickle It. http://www.ticklemeplant.com
Or just search pet TickleMe Plant to grow the plant that moves when Tickled