Warning: Do Not Climb This Tree!

 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)

I don’t know what it is about boys, but they love to climb trees. I have fond childhood memories of trying to get to the very top of trees in our neighborhood and local parks. But listen up boys! ... Do NOT try to climb this tree!

Here is the answer to this month’s Mystery Macro. There were some nice tries at guessing, but... It isn’t a lizard or a toad, or an animal of any kind. The guesses of ‘chocolate chip mountains’ and ‘little mountains of sand’ were certainly clever, but also incorrect. The guess of ‘beet, carrot or squash’ at least landed in the correct category: flora. However the closest guess would have to be “I think it is a prehistoric rose vine.” But since that is also not correct, no one wins the prize dinner. Sorry folks. Maybe next time.
 
Here is the full size picture from which the Mysterey Macro was taken:

Still need some explaining? Well you probably picked up on the clue: “Don’t climb
this tree!” You got it! This is the Silk Floss tree (Ceiba speciosa) of the Malvaceae family. Here are some more pictures. They were taken looking straight up the trunk.

In this next photo you can see my finger on a thorn, which gives you an idea of how big these are. This is the grand-daddy of all thorns!

The Silk Floss tree is a deciduous tree native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America that is studded with thick conical thorns or spikes. In younger trees the trunk is green due to its high chlorophyll content. This makes it capable of performing photosynthesis when there are no leaves. As the tree matures the trunk turns to gray. Here are pictures of a green trunk, and one in which you can see that only a little bit of green remains.

Older trees also take on a pronounced bottle shape, bulging in the lower third of the trunk. This serves as a place to store water for dry periods. Notice this next photo of a wooded hillside:

Seems normal, right? Then I zoomed in with the camera and took the next picture. Look carefully at the center (click on it to see full size) and you will see that the bottle-shaped trunk makes it stand out, even from a distance.

This would explain one of its common names in Spanish ‘árbol botella’ or ‘bottle tree’. It is also referred to as ‘palo borracho’ or ‘drunken post(tree)’. Why? Because of its ‘potbelly’ or ‘beer-belly’ appearance! Also, some may still think of it as a Chorisia tree. This is because its former scientific name was Chorisia speciosa. However in 1998 it became Ceiba speciosa.
 
It is understandable that a bird would want to build its nest in such a formidable tree. Check out the nests in the next two pictures surrounded by a natural ‘high-security fence’.

Also worthy of note are its flowers and fruit. The flowers are reminiscent in shape to a hibiscus. They are 10 to 15 cm across (4 to 6 inches) and have a creamy-white center which fades to pink at the tips of their five petals.

The fruit pods contain black seeds the size of garbanzo beans or chick peas surrounded by a mass of fibrous silky-cotton material. Thus the name Silk Floss tree. The silky material has been used as stuffing for pillows and as thermal insulation.

What varied features this tree has! Don’t you agree? But as tempting as the beautiful flowers may appear, or as curious as you may be to pick the fruit and open it up to see its silky interior... Whatever you do, do NOT try to climb the Silk Floss tree!

 (Léase en español / Read in Spanish)