May 12, 2020
If you’re a true Canadian like us, then you’re probably pretty familiar with Canada’s most popular types of trees. Trees like the maple (of course), spruce, birch, pine, cedar and oak can be found all across our country. But what if you venture outside of the country? There are some pretty amazing trees on this planet and over 60,000 different species. While a large portion of what we do involves taking trees down and removing them, it doesn’t mean we don’t love trees. We understand their importance and appreciate their beauty as well.
We wanted to venture out and see what other types of beautiful trees are living on Earth, so we have put together a list of the ones we found the most interesting…take a look at some of the world’s coolest trees below.
The Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree (Rainbow Tree)
This tree is amazing for one big reason that doesn’t need an explanation…its rainbow coloured bark. It has smooth bark that periodically falls off and reveals these stunning rainbow colours on the trunk of the tree. This particular eucalyptus tree is the only species that grows naturally in the northern hemisphere. They are more than just amazing works of art, they also go the extra mile when it comes to cleaning the air. Their bark traps air pollution that is shed away with the bark. We don’t know about you, but this is definitely one of the coolest trees we have ever seen.
The Sandbox Tree
This is not one tree you want growing in your backyard. The sandbox tree is considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous trees. They can grow to a whopping 130 feet tall and their entire trunk is covered in these cone-like spikes (yikes). The sandbox tree is native to South America and the Amazonian Rainforest and they are violent. The seeds that drop from these vicious trees sort of resemble pumpkins. When the seeds fully mature, they EXPLODE and send seeds shooting up to 60 feet and at 150 miles per hour (yeah you read that right). We really wouldn’t want to be wandering through the forest with any of those mature seeds laying around.
The Dragon’s Blood Tree
Given its name from it’s blood red sap, the dragon’s blood tree had to make our list of coolest trees around the world. This particular tree is native to one single island off the coast of Yemen and is home to many different critters such as snakes, geckos and chameleons. These magnificent trees grow up to 30 feet high and can live for over 600 years.
The Baobab Tree
These funky looking trees are found in Madagascar, mainland Africa and Australia. A baobab can grow as large as 35 feet wide and they can store as much as 32,000 gallons of water inside their massive trucks to survive droughts. Their leaves can be eaten like spinach and contain high levels of iron, and their seeds make a great coffee substitute or cooking oil if pressed. The pulp found in their fruit has 6 times more vitamin C than oranges and that’s just a few of their 300 uses!
The Giant Sequoia Tree
You’ll only find these massive “sky scrapes” along the western slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range. They hold the record for the largest tree in the world along with their “cousins” the cypress and the redwood. These stunning trees can grow as tall as a 26-story building and are around 20 feet in diameter with bark as thick as 3 feet. Their branches can be as large as 8 feet in diameter and can live up to 3,000 years. If that’s not cool, we don’t know what is.
The Wollemi Pine Tree
This is not only one of the coolest trees we came across, but it dates back over 2 million years. These strange trees were first discovered in 1994 in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Tree experts say that this species of tree lived amongst the dinosaurs and it has been deemed a “living fossil”. Researchers have stressed the importance of keeping these trees around as they may unlock more information about our planet’s past. They certainly look prehistoric to us!
The Candelabra Tree
Their name just makes sense. These evergreen trees have a perfect candelabra shape and are found in southern Brazil. This species is another one that is considered to be a living fossil, but sadly it may not be around much longer. Because of logging and over consumption of the fruit they grow, these amazing looking trees have lost over 97% of their total population.
Well there you have it! Some of the world’s coolest trees that you won’t find anywhere near Alberta. While we do love the stunning trees we have close to home, it’s always neat to learn about other species that we can’t find in our own backyards. There are some truly amazing trees on Earth and we find each and every one fascinating.
