Three part plant quiz

I’m out of town this week, and taking lots of plant pictures.  Here’s an interesting tree, quite common in the city where I’m staying:

Question 1:  What kind of tree is this?  (Genus is good enough – species might be hard to tell.)

Question 2:  In what geographical region might I be staying?  (The tree is native as far as I know.)

Question 3:  What are these woody structures called, and what function do they play?

Answers next week!

Published by

Linda Chalker-Scott


8 thoughts on “Three part plant quiz”

  1. Hmm… Okay, I’ll guess it is a Ficus. As for where you are, not a clue beyond somewhere tropical/substropical.
    For question 3, I’m resisting the urge to google here, but I THINK they’re called buttress roots and serve to provided structural support to keep the tree from falling over.

  2. 1. Ficus sp. (maybe F. benjamina)

    2, Tropical asia

    3. Buttress roots; steadying trunk and increasing amount of nutrients absorbed on tropical soils along with destroying retirees’ sidewalks

  3. 1.Ficus obliqua

  4. My first thought is that it’s a kapok tree (Ceiba), and that you are somewhere in the tropics. The roots are called buttress roots. Sounds as if you’re on a trip somewhere exotic!

  5. Ha! It is really a heavy canvas tarp that someone grabbed by one corner and tried to pull. Looks like it has been there awhile so there are probably mice living underneath it. Don’t ask me how I know this.

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