Posts Tagged ‘a few of my favourite trees’
Platycladus orientalis - Arbol de Vida
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● May 30, 2008
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Platycladus orientalis, growing near Guallabamba, Pichincha Province. This, the final tree in this year’s installment of A Few Of My Favourite Trees, is commonly called “Arbol de Vida” or Tree of Life, and is the third tree featured to take this common name (see also Guayasamin’s pine, and Ceiba pentandra.) It is a short, slow-growing evergreen tree, up to about 20 meters with scaly leaves and distinctive spiked berries. It is the only species in it genus, and is closely related to Cypress and Juniper. In Ecuador, it is a common hedge tree and ornamental. Arbol de Vida is also extremely long-lived, with some specimins (in China, for example) having pased their millenium mark. Propagation is by seed and the tree is hardy to most zones.
Washingtonia spp - Fan Palm
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● May 29, 2008
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Fan palms, growing on a boulevard near the Guayaquil International Airport, Guayas Province. I’m fairly certain that these are Washingtonia palms, which reach heights of around 25 meters. They are quite common as boulevard trees throughout Ecuador, and are also one of the few palms cultivated indoors here; they are often found in shopping malls. Propagation is by seed; the palms are tolerant of a wide variety of soils but do best with good drainage.
