What hardwood tree has no growth rings?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
July 11, 2002
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The chicozapote (Manilkara zapota (L.) van Royen) is an economic tree supplying fruit called sapodilla, latex called chicle, and hardwood lumber. The trees grow to about 45 meters (145 feet) within the rainforest. Cultivation within a plantation setting results in trees seldom over 10 meters (32 feet). For the fruit, sapodilla, smaller trees work well. The small trees, though, cannot be tapped for chicle. Chicle collection has remained an industry of the rainforest.
The bark of the chicozapote is gray to brown, older trees are deeply fissured and most bear the zigzag scars of chicle tapping.
Immediately below the bark, the cambium is pink, although a few are white. In chicle collection terms, the cambium is called the 'slash'. The chicleros slash into the cambium and, hopefully, not through it.
Chicozapote wood is strong, yet pliable. The trees are highly resistant to hurricane damage. The root system appears to play little in hurricane resistance. In "Sapodilla: A Potential Crop for Subtropical Climates", Michael Mickelbart states: "a shallow-rooted tree, with more than 80 percent of the roots located within the top 75 cm of soil, concentrated within an area half the width of the canopy."
The wood, often referred to as níspero, is uniform in its structure--it does not show annular growth rings. It contains triterpenoids which make it resistant to insects and rot. The Panama Canal railroad built to carry supplies and workers was laid on untreated níspero ties.
When these 50-plus year old ties were removed for the construction of a new rail line, they were still undamaged. These ties were salvaged and recycled into an elevated observation deck for guests at Canopy Towers Ecolodge, an elegant solution for an old radar facility sitting in a rainforest.
El Eden Ecological Reserve has a brief description and photographs of the swamp forest found in the Yucatan. To view the photographs, click on the link:
http://maya.ucr.edu/pril/el_eden/habitats/swamp_for.html
Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.
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killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What are flowers of benjamin? Plants that Changed History - June 22, 2004
What toxic resin was used on skin? Herbal Folklore - June 9, 2003
What did Santa Anna have to do with chewing gum? Plants that Changed History - July 9, 2002
Humans or bats, who made chicle a dominant species? Renfield's Garden - July 10, 2002
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Wollemi Pine
National Geographic®
Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years. Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
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You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S. Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research.
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The Last Place on Earth Two-Volume Box Set
National Geographic®
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Determined to document the vanishing riches of central Africa's last undeveloped reaches, National Geographic photographer Michael ''Nick'' Nichols set out with ecologist Mike Fay on the ''megatransect expedition,'' a grueling 456-day, 2,000-mile trek from Congo's deepest forest to Gabon's virgin shore. The result of their efforts is The Last Place on Earth, revealing a landmark work so startling that it caused the government of Gabon to set aside 11 percent of the country's interior rain forest as national parkland, creating 13 new national parks to protect virgin lands and wildlife.
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The Last Place on Earth is a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and the Wildlife Conservation Society. All proceeds go to Congo basin forest conservation. 250 photographs. Volume I, 344 pages. Volume II, 128 pages. Hardcover. Vol I, 15'' x 10 3/4''. Vol II, 8 1/2'' x 11''. © 2005
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Rainforest: Heroes of the High Frontier
National Geographic®
Emmy Award winner for Informational
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National Geographic®
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You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.
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