Probably there is no place on our planet where there would be no gigantic tree. Mother Nature has always been rich in miracles. And why not in her bins! It happens that such a wonder opens up that one cannot even believe his eyes. You begin to feel like a small child who first looks into the treasured old grandmother's chest.
So what is it, the largest tree on Earth? Perhaps an exact answer to this question does not exist. Big tree - it can be the tallest or the widest. Under this definition, several types of trees on the globe can be attributed. Let's consider some of them.
The giant sequoiadendron is the last of the cypress family. It is also called the mammoth tree, giant sequoia, wellingtonia or Washington. The last two names come from the names of celebrities. In America, the largest tree is named after the first president, and in England - in honor of the Duke of Wellington, the hero of the Battle of Waterloo. And it is called mammoth, as it has gigantic branches hanging like mammoth tusks.
This species at the end of the Cretaceous and in the Tertiary periods grew throughout the northern hemisphere. And today there are no more than 30 groves that are located in California, in the fuse of the Sierra Nevada. The largest sequoiadendrons have their own names: “Three Sisters”, “Father of the Forests”, “Thick Tree”, “General Grant”, “Pioneer Cabin”, “General Sherman” and so on. All of them are entered in a special register.
The mammoth tree grows slowly, can tolerate frosts at 25˚C, but only if it is a short-term cooling. Adult trees grow up to 100 meters in height, and in diameter reach up to 12 meters. Their bark is reddish-brown in color with large cracks. The needles are also rough, has a gray-green color. Small ovoid cones grow on it, which ripen only at the end of the second year.
Baobab - Africa's largest tree
In height, it grows up to 30 meters, and has a width of more than 10 meters. It is also called a sponge tree, as an adult plant can accumulate about 100 thousand liters of water. There is a beautiful African legend: at first the creator placed a baobab on the banks of the Congo River, but the tree did not like the dampness. Then he was transferred to the slope of the Lunar Mountains, only there he was uncomfortable. Angry creator tore the baobab and threw it onto the dry land of Africa. Since then, the largest tree has been growing roots up. Indeed, the branches of the baobab are very similar to the roots.
The sponge tree blooms in large white flowers (up to 20 cm), their bats pollinate. The fruits are edible, and toasted seeds can be used instead of coffee. In the fruit, the pulp is saturated with vitamins B and C; it tastes like ginger to taste. And if you dry it, grind it, and then dilute it in water, you get a soft drink, something like lemonade. Therefore, baobab is also called lemonade tree.
