Living, breathing, ancient gentle giants, trees are some of the most beautiful natural wonders of our world.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where “baobab” is one of the words you can make.
Whether they resemble dragons from folk tales, or have an enchanted appeal with butterfly-covered trunks, trees are found in all corners of the globe. Here, we pick five that stand out for their physical beauty and centuries of history and lore:
1. Baobab
Towering above pedestrians in Madagascar and all across Africa, baobab trees can live for up to 3,000 years, and can reach up to 30 metres high. A prehistoric species, it predates both mankind and the splitting of continents over 200 million years ago, according to global nonprofit One Earth. In a climate that’s extremely harsh and dry, baobabs are a symbol of life. Its bark and fruit offer over 300 life-sustaining uses, and it is the root of many African remedies, customs and folklore. Its nickname is the “tree of life”.
2. Socotra
An iconic tree that only grows in the island of Socotra, Yemen, it is named after a red sap it produces, known as “dragon’s blood”. With an umbrella-shaped canopy and branches that fork out like arteries, the dragon tree or Socotra has an ancient appeal. It can grow to more than 30 feet (10m) in height and live for a thousand years. Its red resin has been used for centuries in various items, from medicine to lipstick, and – legend has it – to give the famous Stradivarius violin its intense colour.
3. Rainbow eucalyptus
Walking among these trees is like being transported into a watercolour forest. Native to Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, the rainbow eucalyptus is the only eucalyptus species to thrive in rainforests. It can grow up to 250 feet tall (76m). Its most striking feature is its bark, which is streaked with red, green, purple and orange colours.
4. Oyamel fir
In the cloud forests of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, oyamel fir trees grow at altitudes between 8,000 (2,438m) and 11,000 feet (3,353m). Known as sacred firs, the trees are home to colonies of monarch butterflies, which cover their trunks and branches with their bright orange bodies, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
5. Sequoia
As the world’s biggest trees and arguably the largest living organism in the world, sequoias grow up to 280 feet (85m), with enormous trunk diameters of up to 23 feet (7m). The oldest known sequoia, the President Tree in Sequoia National Park, California, US, is around 3,200 years old.
There are plenty of other wonderful trees, like Japan’s cherry blossom, and Cambodia’s strangler fig, that leave people in awe with every encounter.
Which is your favourite? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
