The most outlandish trees in the world. Amazing trees of our planet. Young mangrove trees underwater

I have detailed about the most incredible trees on the planet. But life does not stand still and it's time for the second part of the story about the most unusual and interesting trees on our planet.

Baobabs in Madagascar

Baobab is national symbol islands of Madagascar, as well as painted on the coats of arms of Senegal and the Central African Republic. There are 10 types of baobabs in the world. This is a very amazing tree, which is interesting, no one can accurately state the age of the tree. Since it does not have annual rings, these trees are long-lived and there are trees with an age of about a thousand years. Scientists say that these trees can live up to five thousand years. At first glance, you can see that it is very a big tree with a solid trunk size and height (trunk up to 11 meters wide, up to 25 meters high, and the crown spreads branches up to 40 meters in diameter).

Ficus, Philippines, or we talked about it in sufficient detail in the article.



Young mangrove trees underwater


Mangrove trees are evergreen deciduous plants, settled on tropical and subtropical coasts and adapted to life in conditions of constant ebb and flow. They grow up to 15 meters and have bizarre types of roots: stilted (lifting the tree above the water) and respiratory (pneumatophores), sticking out of the soil, like straws, and absorbing oxygen. Few plants would survive in salt water, but this is not the case with mangroves. They developed filtering mechanisms. The water sucked up by their roots contains less than 0.1% salt. The remaining salt is excreted by the leaves through special leaf glands, forming white crystals on the surface.

Cypresses, Lake Caddo


Lake Caddo - large lake in the USA, lying in the east of Texas on the border with Louisiana. This is a protected area that contains the largest cypress forests on the planet. The area of ​​the lake is about 106 sq. km.

Wisteria, Japan


Wisteria, or, as it is also called, wisteria (Wisteria), is widely used in decorative floriculture. Looking at the flowing green waterfalls of stems and long feathery leaves, densely covered with large clusters of blue, purple, white or pink delicately scented flowers, it is difficult to imagine that wisteria is the closest relative of peas and beans. But this is true, because this fragrant vine belongs to the legume family, and its fruits are elongated pods with seeds similar to lentils.

Bottle trees of Socotra Island


The bottle tree This impression is correct, for the trunk of the bottle tree is indeed shaped like a pot-bellied bottle. The tree can reach 15 meters in height. As for the diameter of such a tree, it can be three meters. The tree grows in Eastern Australia and is very loved by the local population. When periods of drought come, the leaves of the tree go to feed livestock. But the trunk of the bottle tree is a source of drinking water! In addition, in the upper part of the trunk in special cavities there is an accumulation of very sweet juice. This is real nectar! The whole plant is involved. So, the seeds of the bottle tree are roasted or eaten raw. The roots of young trees are very juicy and are eaten as root crops.

, Hawaii

Dragon Tree, Socotra Island


An old Indian legend tells that a long time ago in the Arabian Sea on the island of Socotra, there lived a bloodthirsty dragon who attacked elephants and drank their blood. But one day one old and strong elephant fell on the dragon and crushed it. Their blood mixed and moistened the ground around. At this place grew trees called dracaena, which means "female dragon". The dragon tree (or Dracaena dragon) grows in
tropics and subtropics of Africa and on the islands South-East Asia. Socotra is one of six islands off the coast of Somalia in Indian Ocean where this amazing plant grows

Quiver tree, Namibia

Japanese maple


Japanese maples are exceptionally showy ornamental trees and shrubs. Even in winter, deciduous Japanese maples captivate the eye with an unusual shape of a bare crown, resembling a mushroom or an umbrella, and many thin fan branches. However, the peak of beauty of Japanese maples occurs in autumn, when their leaves are painted in stunning bright colors: red, orange, gold ...

Trees are part of our life, supplying us with oxygen, food, homes, warmth and building materials. There are about 100,000 different types of trees, including a quarter of all living plant species on Earth. Among the billions of trees around the world, there are completely unique amazing representatives.

Baobab is considered to be the birthplace of Madagascar, it is also common in Africa and Australia.

Baobab trees are the oldest forms of life on the African mainland, and many of those still standing today date back to Roman times. The amazing baobab or “monkey breadfruit tree” can grow up to 30m high and 11m wide. Most of the year they remain without leaves. A characteristic feature of the baobab is their pot-bellied trunk, which serves as a reservoir of water. The baobab tree can hold up to 120,000 liters of water to survive severe drought conditions. Some trunks are so big that people live inside the tree. One of the most beautiful clusters of Adansonia Grandidier baobabs is located on Baobab Avenue in Morondava, Madagascar. Some baobabs take on the shape of a bottle, a skull, and even a teapot.

The Dragon Tree in Icod de los Vinos in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, is unique representative. It is believed that it is between 650 and 1500 years old, but experts find it difficult to draw accurate conclusions, since it does not have one trunk. Rather, it consists of many small trunks that hold on to each other as they grow upwards. It has a dense canopy of leaves and gets its name from the resin that is released when its bark and leaves are cut away. Residents believe that this is the dried blood of a dragon and have been using it since ancient times to treat various ailments.

Giant sequoias that grow in the Sierra Nevada in California are considered the most big trees in terms of volume. The largest tree is "General Sherman" in national park Sequoia, whose height reaches 83 m, the volume is about 1,486 cubic meters. m, and weight more than 6000 tons. The tree is thought to be somewhere between 2300 and 2700 years old, and every year the tree gains as much wood as a normal 18 meter tree contains. It is a real natural masterpiece and the greatest living organism on Earth.

4. Pando - aspen-shaped poplar

Pando or Trembling Giant, located in Utah, USA, is an amazing massive colony of wasp trees sprawling over 100 acres of Utah. Almost all of the trees in this colony are genetically identical, that is, they are clones of each other. Every tree in this area comes from a single organism, part of a giant underground root system. Pando consists of 47,000 trunks and its collective weight is 6,600 tons, making it the heaviest organism in the world. Despite the fact that the average age of individual trunks is about 130 years, the whole organism is already about 80,000 years old.

5. Tule Tree

The Tule tree is a particularly large tree of the Taxodium mexico species, which is found near the city of Oaxaca in Mexico. This tree has the largest girth of the trunk (58 m) and a diameter of the trunk, which is 11.5 m. It is said that the Thule Tree is so thick that you do not hug it, but it hugs you. It is believed that the tree is already about 2000 years old. For a while, detractors claimed that in fact there were three trees disguised here, but a thorough DNA analysis confirmed that this is actually one beautiful tree. In 1994, the tree was threatened: the leaves turned painfully yellow and there were dead branches everywhere. The tree was dying. When the “healers” of the trees were called, it turned out that the problem that caused the Tule tree to suffer was ordinary thirst and it needed to be treated with water. Naturally, after careful water procedures the tree came to life.

6. Tree of life

The tree of life in Bahrain is the loneliest tree in the world. The mesquite tree is located at the highest point in the barren desert of Bahrain, hundreds of kilometers from other natural trees. It is believed that its roots stretch for several tens of meters to the aquifers. The exact age of the tree is unknown, but it is believed to be over 400 years old. However, the secret of the Tree of Life is not its size, age or shape, although it is quite large and very beautiful. The most amazing thing is that it stands alone in the barren desert at the highest point in Bahrain, in an area where there is absolutely no water. In a place where nothing seemed to survive, this tree seems to radiate life itself. People come here in droves locals It is believed that the tree stands on the site of the Garden of Eden.

7. Wollemia

Despite its uniqueness and beauty, the interesting qualities of Wollemia are hidden not in appearance, but in its history. Wollemia growing in Australia is a real living dinosaur. The oldest fossil of the Wollemia tree dates back to 200 million years ago. When, in 1994, scientists suddenly discovered living tree Wollemiah, they were just dumbfounded. The exact location of these conifers has been carefully hidden in order to protect the remaining trees, which are less than 100 in nature. various botanical gardens.

8. Cashew Tree Piranji

This famous tree, located near the city of Natal in Brazil, is a 177 year old cashew tree that covers almost 2 hectares of land. It was planted in 1888 by a fisherman who did not know that the tree had a genetic mutation that allowed it to take up so much space. Unlike a regular cashew tree, when the branches of the Piranji tree touch the ground, it takes root and continues to grow. Today this tree serves as a tourist attraction. If you get close to this largest cashew tree in the world, you will feel like you are entering a forest. In fact, all this is one tree, the size of which reaches 8400 square meters. m. The tree is 80 times larger than the average cashew tree and covers an area larger than a football field, bringing about 80,000 fruits a year.

9. Tenere Tree

The Tenere tree is mentioned in this list because it no longer exists. A lone acacia growing in the Sahara desert in Africa's Niger, more than 300 years old, was the only tree within a radius of about 400 km. It was the only tree left of the vast forest that had been swallowed up by the merciless desert. When the scientists dug a hole next to the tree, they found that its roots descended up to 36m below the water table. In 1973, the Tenere tree was run over by a drunk truck driver, and today a metal monument has been erected at the site in honor of the Lonely Tenere Tree.

10. Banyan: Mahabodhi Tree

The banyan tree is named after the banyans or Hindu traders who sold their goods while sitting under the tree. Even if you have never heard of the banyan tree, you will surely recognize it. The shape of this giant tree you will not confuse with anything: a majestic dome with aerial roots that descend from branches to the ground. One of the most famous species of banyan tree called sacred ficus or Bo tree is the Mahabodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The tree is said to have been grown from a cutting of a real tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in the 6th century BC. Planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest human-planted tree in the world with an accurate planting date.

Every gardener, regardless of the size of his plot, wants to make his garden unique and inimitable. A non-standard approach in the selection of plants in this matter is as effective as the choice unusual style design. One of the easiest ways to give your garden a personal touch, to make it truly unique and to attract the admiring attention of passers-by and guests, is to choose trees and shrubs from the exotic category. Their status as unsuitable for growing in our climate, very rare plants literally changes the perception of the garden. Of course, there are many difficulties in growing exotics and caring for them. And often, to introduce them to the site, you need to be prepared for growing in tubs, and not in the soil, and a long wait when ordering remotely. But each such plant is really inimitable and unique.

Cercis canadensis (Cercis canadensis). © Scarlet Black Content:

Any landscape designer, and even an experienced gardener, will confirm that there are two ways to give your garden an individual look:

1. Working with the whole landscape, creating unique compositions, carefully considering every detail from structure to lines, selection of colors and accessories.
2. The introduction of only 1-2 plants, but belonging to the number of unusual, exclusive trees and shrubs. They can replace elaborate design and make up for the lack of originality in any project. True, in the search for such special plants, it is better to be careful and follow some rules.

Admiring exotic plants, succumbing to the charm of tropical gardens and lovingly viewing the landscapes of distant lands during their holidays, gardeners around the world are inspired, and then often try to bring a few unusual and favorite touches to their garden. But in search of exotics for your garden - unusual plants that are extremely rare - you need to be careful and attentive. Just buying a seedling in foreign stores in order to decorate your site with an exotic tree or shrub will not be enough.

Most likely, such a plant will not take root. Particular care should be taken in relation to those plants that are very popular in European horticulture. Their winter hardiness for Western Europe does not mean at all that in middle lane plants will survive. Therefore, you write out crops from European catalogs only after consulting with experienced gardeners or after checking the degree of their winter hardiness. Otherwise, the long-awaited new items are likely to die during the first winter.

When looking for the most unusual large plants for your site, you should follow the same rules by which you select more familiar crops. First of all, focus on local varieties and the range of local nurseries and garden centers, catalogs of landscape companies in your country. The best gardeners in your area have probably tested dozens of different types of plants and through trial and error have found those crops that are able to adapt to a particular climate.

Along with the plants familiar to us, all nurseries, without exception, also sell exotic novelties. And sometimes these are the same types and varieties of plants that we are so eager to buy on foreign sites. But thanks to years of cultivation in identical or close to your garden climatic conditions such plants are much more resistant and hardy. And the risk of losing them is much less.

So, if you want to decorate your garden with an exotic novelty and stand out from your neighbors, then first of all you need to take a closer look at the assortment of trees and shrubs in local gardening farms. In their catalogs, you will definitely meet unusual, but well-suited crops for your garden. And the number of such plants will definitely be more than a dozen. So your perfect exotic accent is probably closer than you think.

Another great option for finding exotic shrubs and woody plants is visiting exhibitions and fairs. After all, not only large garden centers participate in them, but also private garden farms and even individual gardeners, whose successes may be useful to you. As a last resort, you can always ask for advice and guidance in finding exotic crops that can adapt well to your climate.

Botanical gardens have always served as a reliable source of information about winter hardiness and tests in culture of various exotic plants. They also offer exotic plants for sale, and they have plants in their range that you can't find in nurseries and garden centers.

When deciding to search for an exotic plant for your garden, you need to stock up not only with perseverance and patience, prepare for a long search that requires informed decisions, but also carefully calculate your budget. The fact is that such plants, due to their rarity, the complexity of selection and reproduction, are likely to cost a lot. Along with conifers, it is exotics that are considered the most expensive type of seedlings.

TOP 9 fashion exotics

1. Snow tree

blooming snow tree or Snowflower virginian, or Chionanthus virginus (Chionanthus virginicus) is a truly unforgettable sight. At home, this two-meter and far from modest beautifully flowering representative of the North American flora is known only as "grandfather's beard".

Being in full bloom, this plant flaunts an almost continuous fringe of airy drooping inflorescences of unusual flowers with thin perianth lobes, which really look like a kind of beard together.

Snowflower, snowman or snow tree combines, it would seem, opposite characteristics. Tropical oblong-ovate leaves up to 20 cm long with a shiny surface turn dazzling bright yellow in autumn. But inflorescences-panicles up to 25 cm long, slightly fragrant, consisting of numerous white "strings" of flowers, look like peculiar bundles of wool or ribbons and seem strikingly northern.

At the same time, the whole plant, hung with this luxurious fringe, as if fluttering in the wind, is in constant motion.

The ability of Chionanthus to bloom even after a harsh winter is explained very simply: its flowers bloom only on young twigs. In central Russia, this shrub grows well with careful shelter, will bloom every year. And for the sake of such a spectacle, it is worth trying when preparing it for winter. The main thing is to provide good lighting and light soil with a pH of 6.5.

2. Canadian scarlet, or Cercis

Also, another very beautiful shrub is limited to a two-meter maximum height - Canadian cercis (Cercis canadensis), we are better known by the name Canadian scarlet. Despite the status of a non-frost-resistant plant, it is able to manifest itself not only in the southern regions or in tub culture. Its velvety, bright red when blooming, then green, and in autumn dark red leaves are unparalleled, and the plant surprises not only with their heart-shaped shape and beauty of the veins, but also with the elegance of the silhouette. They are so architectural in a plant that they seem to flower arrangements literally works of art.

Cercis can also boast of non-standard flowering. Pinkish-lilac, very elegant flowers are collected in dense bunches that completely cover both annual and old shoots, literally turning the whole plant into a pink vision in spring. The flowers open at the same time as the leaves begin to open.

Cercis require more shelter when young, but in a sheltered location it gradually builds up winter hardiness, although it may not flower the following year in exceptionally severe winters. This plant is not only very showy, but also drought-resistant. All he needs is sun and alkaline, well-drained soil.

3. Styrax Japanese

It is difficult to imagine a culture with a more massive snow-white bloom than Styrax japanese (Styrax japonicus). It is practically unknown to us, but one look at the white foam of flowers, which covers the tree in June, makes you fall in love with this plant forever. White bells bloom in loose inflorescences, elegantly hanging on brown pedicels and showing off the center of stamens of the same tone when all fruit trees have faded and, it would seem, there is no place for delicate watercolors in the garden.

Styrax requires cultivation in sunny to semi-shady areas, complete protection from the wind, and very fertile soil. Difficulties in growing this plant also arise with ensuring the correct characteristics of the soil, since styrax does not like lime. Despite the fact that usually only young trees need protection, in the middle lane, styrax is able to winter successfully and bloom beautifully only if it is covered for the winter with at least a thick layer of dry leaves.

4. Lily of the valley

The most beautiful bell-shaped flowers, without exaggeration, are characteristic of the North American lily of the valley, or Galesia caroline (Halesia carolina). This is a unique plant, in which the drooping elegant bells of flowers on the branches really remind of lilies of the valley.

Despite its reputation, it is a fairly hardy plant. The lily-of-the-valley tree, provided it is sheltered for the winter and planted in protected places, in the company of large shrubs, is able to overwinter in the middle lane. Careful selection of soil that does not contain lime and is fertile, providing good lighting fully pays off with the beauty of the flowering plant, a scattering of elegant bells that adorn the garden in May-June. The advantages of the lily-of-the-valley tree include the fact that the flowers of this plant bloom simultaneously with the leaves: the shrub literally transforms before our eyes in a matter of days.

5. Chocolate creeper

Among the climbing plants today, a real exotic, which our flower growers are just discovering, can be considered East Asian chocolate creeper, or Akebia five (Akebia quinata). This evergreen liana up to 10 m long with five-fingered, very hard leaves and purple-chocolate flowers even manages to form edible fruits.

To protect for the winter, the vine must be removed from the support, laid in rings and covered with dry foliage. But the efforts will not be regretted for a day. With age, akebia increasingly increases its winter hardiness.

6. Kampsis rooting

Kampsis rooting, or Tekoma (Campsis radicans) is an amazingly spectacular and fast-growing vine, also known as a trombone. Cirrus leaves up to 25 cm in length and amazing abundant flowering with original flowers turn Kampsis into one of the most beautiful large-flowered vines. Tubular, trombone-like flowers reach 9 cm in length with the same diameter, collected in brushes of 10-15 pcs. The massiveness of the inflorescences makes the flowering that lasts all summer even more powerful.

When grown with south side at home, the plant winters well and withstands frosts down to minus 35, provided it is covered. Without it, it hibernates at minus 20. Occasionally, only young shoots suffer from it, but due to its rapid growth, the kampsis is perfectly restored.

Rooting Campsis, or Tekoma (Campsis radicans). © Rosa Rooting Campsis, or Tekoma (Campsis radicans). © MathijsDielissen Rooting Campsis, or Tekoma (Campsis radicans). © Hellebardius

7. Tulip Tree

Tulip Liriodendron, or tulip tree real, or lyran (Liriodendron tulipifera) - one of the most beautiful flowering ornamental trees able to successfully bloom for centuries. Quadrangular light green leaves with an unusual tone of color emphasize the elegance of the original light green flowers with sepals that seem to be turned down, resembling a hybrid of cyclamen and tulips in shape and reaching a diameter of 10 cm.

Demanding on soil fertility and good lighting, this incomparable handsome man puts up with frosts down to -30, and when grown with protection in the early years and using already acclimatized plants, he is even more hardy.

8. Horse chestnut pavia

Beautiful blooming view Horse chestnuts Horse chestnut red, or horse chestnut pavia (Aesculus pavia) deserves much more attention. It can be grown in virtually the same regions where the common horse chestnut grows successfully. The main advantages of this species are not even in restrained size, although the trees do not exceed 3 m in height and develop in the form, rather, of shrubs.

Young leaves are painted red, changing to classic green only in early summer. And the flowering of pavia is able to compete with the best garden stars. Red-yellow flowers, collected in delightful pyramids and panicles of inflorescences, seem not just catchy, but unusually elegant. This red giant has no equal. And for growing just something, you need to provide light insulation for the winter (but even without it, pavia recovers well when it freezes).

9. Paulownia

Unique in its kind and paulownia, or adam tree (paulownia), or dragon tree. Deciduous or semi-evergreen spectacular medium-sized trees with surprisingly picturesque crown patterns and large whole-cut leaves on long petioles attract attention, first of all, with bells of flowers with a five-lobed limb, reminiscent of gloxinia flowers. Gathering in large apical panicles of inflorescences, painted in white, purple or blue, the flowers turn each tree into an unforgettable lilac cloud.

Paulownia is demanding on watering and top dressing, it needs an extremely careful choice of sites and shelter, it can freeze to the level of snow. But she pays for all the risks with her beauty.

Paulownia, or Adam's tree (Paulownia). © Petr Filippov Paulownia, or Adam's tree (Paulownia). © Jean-Paul GRANDMONT Paulownia, or Adam's tree (Paulownia). ©Google

Trendy "almost exotic"

There are also plants in which the exotic status can be considered controversial today. The thing is that these crops, as a result of a sharp jump in popularity and the establishment of a garden fashion for planting in decorative compositions, have recently been found in garden centers on almost every corner. And they can no longer be considered as unusual as exotics with much less popularity. By origin and catchiness, they are indeed exotic, but fashion is gradually changing their status.

Among these plants, of course, belongs the lover of acidic soils, the false camellia. Stuartia pseudocamellia (Stewartia pseudocamellia). A little over a decade ago, almost no one heard about it, but today it is invariably found in the assortment of beautifully flowering European shrubs. White cupped flowers and a very bright autumn color of the crown and good winter hardiness in conditions similar to Western Europe have made Stewart almost as popular in the West as rhododendrons. And her bark is very original, unevenly colored and flaking. And whether it is still exotic, there is an active debate among designers. In terms of winter hardiness, it is similar to a tulip tree, and with age it is more and more hardy.

Almost the same rise in popularity has recently been characteristic of other shrubs and trees. Exotics that are becoming more and more common include:

• yellow-flowered Weigel Middendorf (Weigela middendorffiana). It is so outwardly different from ordinary weigels with white and pink flowers that it seems to be a completely different shrub. It grows up to 1.5 m and blooms in May-June, capable of repeated late-summer flowering, the yellow weigela slightly frosts over, with timely formative pruning after flowering, it blooms magnificently even in the middle lane.
• Eastern spruce (Picea orientalis) of the golden form "Aureospica" with shortened needles and a filigree branch structure, emphasized by literally dazzlingly sunny young branches.
• Sakura, or Cherry serrated (Prunus serrulata), which is increasingly being planted not only in gardens, but also used in urban gardening due to the breeding of varieties that recover well when frozen.
• Sakura's main competitor Three-lobed almond, or Louisiana three-lobed (Prunus triloba), growing into bushes up to 2 m tall with spectacular pink double flowers that bloom in April-May before the leaves appear and turn this almond into one of the most picturesque sights. In a plant, the tenderness of flowering only emphasizes the dark color of the branches.
• Catalpa beautiful (catalpa speciosa), a beautifully flowering species of the best of the trees for shearing, which, despite the seeming low winter hardiness, is already grown in our country. During flowering, which lasts about a month in June-July, catalpas produce amazing bells of asymmetric flowers in inflorescences up to 50 pcs, after flowering, long fruits up to 40 cm long, similar to green icicles, are formed, remaining on the tree almost all winter.
• lush-flowered Wisteria, or wisteria (Wisteria) is a legendary liana with hanging lilac tassels of inflorescences. Wisteria does not bloom every year, but it grows rapidly and requires careful shelter with removal of the support and air-dry wrapping.
• magnolia siebold (Magnolia sieboldii) with its touching snow-white flowers and yellow-flowered varieties of magnolias "Butterfly" and "Yellow Bird" with an unusual color.
• ginkgo biloba, or Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba) is a legendary healing plant and a gigantic tree that beautifully forms into a shrub. Its bilobed leaves are as beautiful as the blooms.
• Giant and amazing picturesque Sophora japonica (Sophora japonica, which today has been reclassified as Styphnolobius japanese (Styphnolobium japonicum)) - a strikingly beautiful tree or shrub with unique silhouettes of branches and very beautiful shiny dark green leaves of a complex pinnate type, releasing brushes of white-green flowers in the middle of summer.
• Chinese type of maple - maple gray (Acer griseum) with its unique bark and orange-red autumn leaves. The reddish bark on the trunks peels off like rolls of paper and the originality of the tree is visible even from a distance. And the spectacle of such beauty is difficult to meet in any other tree giant.
• pink-flowered Kuril shrub tea, shrub cinquefoil or Potentilla shrub (Dasiphora fruticosa, formerly known as Pentaphylloides fruticosa) usually flaunts white and yellow flowers, but the variety "Princess" surprises with a May start and bright pink flowers that gradually turn pale. Outwardly, this variety seems more like an exotic rosehip than Kuril tea. The variety "Red Ace" also belongs to the exotic, in which carmine-red flowers bloom tirelessly until autumn, then changing color to orange.

Alternative to exotics

It is not worth being upset that most of the plants so popular in the West cannot take root in our country because of harsh winters. You can always find an alternative and close relative for each plant, which, with practically the same appearance, will be much more frost-resistant. This interchangeability is especially pronounced in maples, which have their own suitable “copy” for each species.

unique red-veined maple, or maple honshu (Acer rufinerve), famous for beautiful drawing on the bark, will not grow in the middle lane or will develop as a shrub, the bark on which is almost imperceptible. But it can be replaced with Green Maple (Acer tegmentosum), which will form powerful trunks, which, although they differ in pattern, also flaunt a very unusual bark.

With help Japanese maples (Acer japonicum) can be replaced by exotic False sibold maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum). And gorgeous Forsythia ovalfolia, or Forsythia ovoid (Forsythia ovata) can successfully replace any non-hardy species or variety of these early flowering shrubs.

There is another great option that does not require the selection of plants according to the degree of frost resistance at all. Any exotic shrub or tree can be grown indoors as a tub plant. True, transporting huge containers with a very large plant will require considerable effort. But on the other hand, in this way you can grow even the best tropical species and have no doubt whether they will overwinter with you.

Secrets of selecting conditions for exotics in the garden

Get ready for a pleasant surprise. Adapted exotics, unknown to most gardeners, but already growing from local pioneers, may not be as demanding as plants typical of your climate. Especially if we are talking about profusely flowering crops. Often the only drawback of such plants is their obscurity. Having already adapted to a specific climate, even seemingly tropical crops, with the right selection of growing conditions, are most often content with literally minimal care.

But the selection of conditions for any exotic is a task of the utmost importance. For plants that are not typical for your climate and belong to the number of rare species, it is necessary to carefully control the lighting and soil. A place for growing exotics, regardless of their individual preferences, must be sought among the warmest sites on the site, protected from winds and drafts, located on the south side of buildings and preferably protected from adverse and cold winds by shrubs or walls.

Only in well-heated sunny or semi-shady locations will unusual shrubs and trees be able to take root. Shade-loving plants are planted in partial shade, light-loving - in the brightest southern locations. Required condition for growing any, even the most moisture-loving exotic (regardless of individual preferences for soil composition) - good soil drainage, its deep development, no risk of water stagnation. In a word, it is necessary to select quiet warm corners with the most stable conditions.

The world of trees is truly rich and diverse. Looking at some landscape, sometimes it seems that this is just an invention of the artist, drawn as if for a science fiction film or book. Undoubtedly, each species is unique in its own way, but among over 100,000 varieties there are truly unusual representatives, which cannot be passed by without admiring. In this article, you will learn a lot about these wonderful trees, which differ from their neighbors in size, unusual shapes, flowers or fruits.

Few people know that a tree grows in the jungles of India, forming the most real forest! From the main thick banyan trunk, located in the center, several large branches depart, from which thin shoots stretch down. Then, having reached the ground, they take root and begin to grow in width. Having become the size of the main trunk, these shoots start up their branches. The oldest banyan has been living for more than three thousand years and consists of about 3 thousand thin and 3 thousand wide trunks that reach a height 60 meters.

Walking through the shrouds of equatorial Africa, you can come across tall trees with fruits that look like liver sausage. However, contrary to their delicious appearance, you can't eat them. The locals use these useful trees, which are called kigelia, in different ways, but not for food. Fuel is obtained from dried fruits, and after boiling them, a red dye is obtained, the seeds are used in medicine. "Sausages" serve as material for dishes and decorations. Also, a special African soft drink is prepared from the fruits. Aboriginal people soak them in water, adding honey from wild bees, and leave them to ferment.

This unusual tree got its name due to the amazing resemblance to a glass bottle. And this is due primarily to the fact that the plant accumulates water inside itself, adapting to the very dry climate of Australia. You can meet the Australian baobab in the mountains of Namibia. Ancient hunters smeared their arrows with its poisonous juice. If you're lucky, you might see the bottle tree in bloom. During this period, unusual red-pink flowers grow on bizarre branches.

The tree of Life

Also known as cinnabar red dracaena, it grows on the island of Socotra. Together with the other 40 species of her genus, they are the oldest relic trees on the planet. In appearance, the plant resembles a huge unfolded green umbrella. The dragon tree got its name from the blood-red sap of the tree, which is highly prized by the locals. It blooms in early spring, fragrant panicles of white or light green color appear on hooked needle-shaped branches.

The American artist managed to grow more than 40 different types of stone fruits on one tree. Undoubtedly, such a miracle will delight any fruit lover! In the spring, you can observe the incredible: the whole tree blooms with pink, lilac, white, raspberry and purple flowers different shades, and in the summer it already bears fruit. All phase changes resemble a kaleidoscope. So far, the trees are small, but they are already bred in personal collections and museums.

rainbow eucalyptus

These unusually tall trees will not leave anyone indifferent. Often, rainbow eucalyptus trees are grown for decoration. The point is multi-colored vertical stripes covering the trunk. They don't appear right away. young tree cannot show off in a pale green outfit. Only after growing up the trunk begins to darken, and then more wonderful stripes appear. It is also interesting that they are updated every year, changing their colors to blue, purple, green, orange and dark red.

One of the most beloved trees in the botanical gardens South America. The name of the plant comes from unusual fruits, similar in appearance to cannonballs. The tree is very prolific: every year the plant produces more than two hundred kernels with a diameter of about 20 centimeters. There are so many of them that they stick around almost the entire trunk.

It is strongly not recommended to come close to the tree, let alone stand under it: the danger of getting swipe on the head with a heavy fruit. When it falls, it shatters, making a deafening roar. A white liquid with seeds flows out of the fruit, which turns blue in the sun and begins to emit a very unpleasant odor. Such an aroma can cause an allergic reaction, and the kernel itself is poisonous. From its shell, the locals make their own dishes.

There are countless trees growing all over the globe. We are accustomed only to those that grow next to us, and those that do not look like them seem a curiosity. Looking at them, none of us can help but be surprised, remain indifferent and pass by. Without any doubt, each tree is a special masterpiece of nature, which a person should admire.

Trees of unusual shape from all over the world.

There are many talented people in the world whose work is admired, but still the best artist in the world is undoubtedly nature. She sometimes gives birth to such masterpieces, looking at which you freeze in admiration. In this review, there are photographs of trees, the reality of which is hard to believe.

1 Rainbow Eucalyptus


The smooth eucalyptus bark consists of many thin layers that have different colors and change throughout the life of an amazing tree.

2. Serrated cherry

The shiny red-brown surface of the trunk looks especially impressive in winter.

3. Cotton tree


The trunk and branches of the tree are covered with very large prickly thorns.

4. Jaboticacba


An evergreen tree with cauliflory - the formation of fruits directly on the trunk and main branches.

5. Adenium - the ominous Desert Rose


All parts of the plant are poisonous, so much so that in ancient times they were impregnated with arrowheads.

6. Ceiba


It is one of the largest and tallest trees in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere.

7. Dragon Tree (Dracaena draconica)


Dracaena means "female dragon" in Greek.

8. Quiver tree (Aloe dichotomous)


In the past, the Bushmen and Hottentots used hollowed-out tree branches as arrow quivers.

9. Baobab (Adansonia digitata)

The amazing tree is not only the thickest in the world, but also has no growth rings.

10. Chilean Pine (Chilean Araucaria)


The tree has such hard and thorny leaves that birds do not sit on its branches.

11. Twisted Trees


Trees that stand up for their right to life.

12. Joshua tree (Yucca shortleaf)


The name of the tree was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century.

13. Xanthorrhoea (Tree Grass)


These slow growing trees are resistant to fire and live up to 600 years.

14. Bleeding tree (African teak)


The tree got its name because of the red-scarlet resin that begins to ooze at the slightest incision.

15. Manchineel tree


Included in the Guinness Book of Records as the most dangerous tree in the world - all parts of the plant are poisonous and deadly.

16. Spatodea bell-shaped (African tulip tree)


One of the most beautifully flowering trees in the world is on the list of dangerous invasive species, the distribution of which threatens biological diversity.

17. Kindioi Wax Palm


The tallest palm in the world is the national tree of Colombia.

18. Sequoia Evergreen


Giant tree Hyperion with a height of 115.61 m is the tallest tree on the planet.

19. Ficus Bengal


The Great Banyan - the tree with the largest crown area in the world is located in the Indian botanical garden in Howr.

20. Walking palm tree (Socratea bareroot)


These unusual palm trees slowly move along the ground, breaking up to 20 meters per year.

21. Candle tree (Parmentiera edible)


The fruits of this tree contain a huge amount vegetable oils due to which they are used as candles.

22. Virginian snowflower


An unusually beautiful tree comes from the USA.