Blog Archives - THE OUTDOOR CIRCLE

Tamarind - Tamarindus indica

8/31/2016

Image Source: David Veisland (Wiki Commons)

Native to dry parts of tropical Africa and Asia.
Fruits prized for their acid pulp and for their seeds, both are edible.
Pulp is a favorite ingredient in curries and chutneys.
Up to 80 ft. in height and wide canopy.
Thrives in hot, dry parts of its native areas.
In India, all parts of the tree are used.
Seeds produced a gum used to paint idols.
Leaves give a red dye.
Bark, leaves, flowers, and fruit have medicinal properties.
Wood is hard and durable and prized for making furniture.
In India, it is believed that the tree is haunted by spirits.

Source: (Majesty II, 1991)

Tattele - Pterygota alata

8/30/2016

Evergreen tree that can reach a height of 95 ft. tall.
Source of food, medicine, oil, and wood.
Range is in East Asia and Southern China.
Their fruit is a brown color.
Wood is white, lightweight, and durable.

(Source: UTP, 2014)

Image Source: Vinayaraj (commons.wikimedia)

Teak - Tectona grandis

8/29/2016

Image Source: Lokal_Profil (commons.wikimedia)

Large deciduous tree.
Can reach around 95 ft. tall.
One of the most important timbers in the world.
Strongest wood in the world.
Widely planted source of timber in the tropics.
Can be found in East Asia.
Fine dust of tree can cause skin irritation or bronchial asthma.

(Source: UTP, 2014)

Valencia orange/Kona orange tree – Citrus sinensis

8/28/2016

Image Source: Jean-pol Grandmont

Royal Navy of England provided lime and other citrus juices to its men to prevent scurvy.
Yellow/green oranges.
1792, Archibald Menzies gave Hawaiian chiefs orange tree seedlings
One of those trees is still around today.

Source: (Majesty II, 1991)

Weeping Fig - Ficus benjamina

8/28/2016

Evergreen tree from India and Malaysia.
Fast growing.
60 ft. tel with an even greater canopy.
Dense canopy with a weeping growth habit.
Good shade tree.
Leaves ranging from slender to broad.
Invasive root system.

Source: (Rauch, 2000)

Closely related to the banyan tree.
White leaves with a green inner part.
Leaves are smooth and shiny.
Most common indoor houseplants in the country.

Source: (NTBG, 2016)

West Indian Locust - Hymenaea courbaril

8/27/2016

Evergreen tree.
Massive spreading branches and umbrella crown.
Slow growing tree.
Can grow around 100 ft. tall.
Harvested from wild for food and medicine.
Heavy seed pods produce a terrible odor when they mature.
Found throughout South America.
Edible fruit.

(Source: UTP, 2014)

Image Source: Zavadil (commons.wikimedia)

West Indian Elm - Guazuma ulmifolia

8/26/2016

Also known as Bastard cedar.
Can reach a height from 30 - 90 ft. tall.
Long history of herbal use.
Used in modern medicine in South America.
Cultivated in India and Sri Lanka.
Founs growing near Stream banks and in pastures.
Seeds of fruit are edible.

(Source: UTP, 2014)

Image Source: Matanya (commons.wikimedia)

White Ash - Fraxinus americana

8/25/2016

Image Source: Daderot (commons.wikimedia)

Also known as Biltmore Ash.
Never a dominant species in a forest.
Wood is tough, strong, and resistant to shock.
Used for handles, oars, and baseball bats.
Native to upper U.S., Canada region.
Cultivated in Hawaii.
Can reach a height of 60 to 70 ft. tall.

(Source: EOL, 2016)

Wiliwili - Erythrina sandwicensis

8/24/2016

There is an old Hawaiian legend of four sisters. The first sister was beautiful, but the other three were ugly. The first sister was named Moholani and her husband was lured out to sea by sirens and Moholani asked her sisters to help, but they refused. Moholani had a son and he was given to the gods to be raised by them. He was furious at the other sisters for not helping, so he sent lightning down from the heavens and turned the tree sisters into wiliwili trees.
Long stemmed leaves, wide speeding branches, and spring flowers that range in color from pale red to white.
Buoyant wood.

Source: (Majesty I, 1982)

Native to Hawaii.
Up to 35 ft. in height.
Flowers from white, coral, orange, red, and bicolors.
Blossoms and seeds are valued in making leis.

Source: (Rauch, 2000)

Related to koa, monkey pods, coral trees, peas, peanuts, soy beans, and other bean family trees.
Tree sheds its leaves during summer and blossoms in fall.
They are seriously threatened by the Erythrina gall wasp.
The larvae eat the leaves destroy the tree.

Source: (Wageman, 2008)