No garden feels complete without trees, whether they are fruit trees, for shade, or simply ornamental. We are used to always seeing the same species and that makes us not normally notice them, but there are all kinds of rare trees that you may have even once seen and overlooked.
In this article we are going to talk both about the rarest trees in the world and about curious trees that you have surely seen once and that have caught your attention.
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis (Lemon Buddha hand)
For starters, a fairly common one, the buddha hand. Surely you have seen it many times in nurseries, but did you know that it is a variety of wild lemon tree? The original distribution is unknown since it has been in cultivation for thousands of years. Although its main interest for us is ornamental, it is also edible and in Asia it is used for its medicinal properties.
ficus benghalensis (Banyan or Indian Strangler Fig)
In southern Spain it is very common to grow another banyan tree, the ficus elastica, both indoors and outdoors. ficus benghalensis, on the other hand, it is usually only seen as a houseplant, although its care is almost identical. A peculiarity of this type of ficus and the reason why they are also called strangler fig trees is that they are specialized in animals eating their fruits and depositing the seeds in the crowns of other trees. Once they germinate, grow like epiphytic plants (but not parasites, as many believe) until their roots reach the ground, at which point they begin to thicken and surround the tree in which they germinated, strangling it by not letting it grow.
Its other peculiarity is that as they grow they are putting down aerial roots that form support columns once they hit the ground. This is especially striking in ficus benghalensis, which in its natural habitat in India, where it is considered sacred, a single specimen forms forests. Other banyan trees are also very famous, Religious ficus y ficus altissima since several can be seen growing on Asian ruins.
Nuytsia floribunda (Australian Christmas tree)
Now we go to a true parasitic tree, Nuytsia floribunda. It is considered indigenous to western Australia, where solitary specimens grow. A peculiarity of this plant, in addition to being the parasitic plant that can really be considered a tree, is that unlike most, Instead of parasitizing a single plant, it has a large root system that hooks onto hundreds of plants. (generally herbaceous, such as lawns) by haustoria, hence it can reach large sizes. It can also be said that is hemiparasite, that is, it only absorbs water and mineral salts from the hosts, but photosynthesis is carried out by itself.
Parasitaxus usta (Parasitic yew)
Continuing with the parasites we are going to see this unique plant. Parasitaxus ustait is the only parasitic conifer (Not counting the ghost redwoods, which are a mutation and not a species as such). It is purple and it does not have any chlorophyll, since it is a complete parasite (absorbs everything from the host). He is only able to grow up under another member of his family (podocarpaceae), Falcatifolium taxoides. But curiously, it does not join its roots through haustoria, but forms mycorrhizae with the same fungi with which Falcatifolium is mycorrhized, robbing them of water and nutrients. It is endemic to New Caledonia, the island of rare plants.
Another conifer of the family podocarpaceaefrom New Caledonia. In this case, one of the very few aquatic conifers, with an extremely slow growth, myrtle-like leaves and a bottled trunk with almost no branches. Like the rest of this family, instead of producing pineapples, it produces false olive-like fruits.
Taxodium spp.. (bald cypress trees)
You cannot talk about aquatic conifers without mentioning the genus taxodium, who not only can they grow inside lakes but they are also deciduous. It should be noted that they are single-leaved, and what they do in autumn is throw whole twigs, which makes it appear that their leaves are compound. This genus of the family Cupressaceae It is indigenous to North America and has three species, two American and one Mexican:
Taxodium distichum, el marsh cypress, it is the most cultivated outside of America, has branches similar to those of yew trees and a pyramidal growth. It can grow with the roots completely submerged since it forms structures called pneumatophores that allow air to reach them.
Taxodium ascendens, the pond cypress, is considered by many authors a subspecies of T. distichum. Its shape is very similar to the previous one, but its leaves are squamiform instead of elongated and the twigs grow completely vertical.
Taxodium mucronatum (o T. huegeli), el ahuehuete, It is the Mexican species and although it tolerates flooded soils, prefer not to be directly in the water since it lacks pneumatophores. This species does a great job preventing the water from the streams from carrying away the substrate from the shore. A specimen in Oaxaca takes the record for the tree with the thickest trunk in the world.
Araucaria spp.
A genus of conifers with a very primitive appearance, of whose 19 species, 13 are endemic to New Caledonia. They have a very marked apical growth with branching lateral branches usually only once, so they have a very orderly growth. Its leaves are completely attached to the stem and are usually short, flattened and sharp. In coastal areas it is very common to see Araucaria heterophylla, and in colder areas Araucaria araucana it is the most used. In areas with cool summers it is also easy to find Araucaria angustifolia y Araucaria bidwillii. Araucaria cunninghamiana, a species similar to the typical A. heterophylla but more resistant to cold, it is sometimes sold as bonsai. The curious thing about all this is that none of these species is from New Caledonia, the cradle of the genus. This is because the species on that island are much more tropical and delicate and are not usually worth cultivating.
Podocarpus spp.
This genus of conifers is one of the most curious, since at first glance it seems to us more that they are related to myrtles or boxwood. They have large, flattened leaves, with what appears to be a petiole. Its seeds are curious, since they are usually exposed, with a brightly colored aril at the junction to the stem. This makes them look like an olive and a berry poked on a toothpick. They are mainly tropical conifers, with only one species, Podocarpus macrophyllus, which tolerates frost well. It is not difficult to find plants of this genus in nurseries, but they are often sold as bonsai.
Dracophyllum spp.
At first glance these trees seem to be from the Bromeliaceae family, but nothing could be further from the truth. Although anyone would say that these are monocots, these rare trees actually they belong to the heather and blueberry family, ericaceae. They are in New Zealand, Australia and of course, New Caledonia. The most interesting and most sought-after species by collectors is Dracophyllum traversii, which grows into a relatively large tree and is cold tolerant. Their prehistoric appearance makes many people look for them, but they are very difficult to obtain and to keep alive.
Richea pandanifolia
Another plant of the family Ericaceae that looks like a monocot. In fact, pandanifolia means pandanus leaves, an arborescent monocot relatively related to palm trees. In this case it has an exclusively vertical growth and without branches, which generates even more interest among collectors. This is endemic to highlands of Tasmania, so although it tolerates the cold, it does not support the heat. This makes it a real challenge to get it done.
coreopsis gigantea (tree daisy)
More than a tree, it is a shrub because of the size it acquires (it does not usually exceed 2m), but its appearance is that of a miniature tree. The funny thing is that it is one of the few non-tropical plants of the main subfamily of the family Asteraceae that acquires arboreal size. Namely, it is a small tree whose flowers are daisies. This one in particular is native to California and Baja California, and has a rather slow growth. This makes tree daisies of the genus sonchus endemic to the Canaries are much more sought after by collectors, since they are fast growing. In general, all arboreal plants of the Compositae family can be considered rare trees.
Another arboreal species of a plant that is generally herbaceous, this time African, also from the family Asteraceae. Can you imagine a thistle growing on a twisted log? That is this plant, which together creates some very rare trees. Although it is extremely striking, not only because of its leaves and growth pattern, but also because of the flowers, it is almost impossible to find it for sale.
Leucadendron argenteum (silver tree)
For me, one of the rarest and most beautiful trees in the world, endemic to south africa. The gender leucadendron belongs to the family proteaceae, one of the most primitive dicot families. Something very curious about these plants is that there are male and female trees that are completely different. The males have a conical growth with very striking colors. On the other hand, the female ones have a stockier growth and duller colors, closer to a normal green. The best seller is leucadendron 'safari sunset', from which cut branches are sold for flower arrangements (and are very difficult to root). Leucadendron argenteum On the other hand, it is almost never seen for sale and I consider it a very interesting plant to have in our gardens.
Dendrosenecio Kilimanjari (arboreal senecio)
Senecios are well known plants, either for its succulent species or its herbaceous species that behave like weeds. This one in particular is done a little branched tree, with very large leaves and a very curious thick trunk, with dichotomous branching. You never see yourself in gardening because of your needs: Being a high mountain plant, it needs temperatures that do not exceed 25ºC with cold nights and high humidity.. If you find a nursery that sells Senecio kilimanjaro, actually what he sells is a small-sized succulent, a form of Senecio snake obtained from Kilimanjaro, nothing to do with this tree.
Cussonia paniculata
A tree with a very thick trunk and cracked bark of the family araliaceae (the ivy), from southern Africa. Its palm-compound leaves and trunk shape give it a very striking appearance that makes it a great addition to desert gardens in dry frosty climates.It has two subspecies, one with highly segmented blue leaves and the other with green leaves with larger lobes. . When grown from seed, it forms a caudex that makes it even more striking. It is difficult to find it in nurseries, but many web pages sell seeds. All genre cussonia It is made up of rare trees, but this species is one of the most striking.
Pseudopanax ferox
Another of the rare trees of the family Araliaceae, this time from Australia. It has a very rare growth, starting with a purely vertical growth with brown, elongated, spiny and completely rigid leaves. After about 20 years, when it exceeds about 3m in height it begins to branch with wider, softer, spineless leaves. The reason for this is that it is adapted to avoid predation by moas, giant birds similar to the recently extinct emus. As a child it has the appearance of an unappetizing dead plant, and when it exceeds the height to which the moas reach it begins to have a more normal growth. This added to its resistance to cold makes it an extremely sought after plant by collectors. It is easily available, although at somewhat high prices.
Eucalyptus deglupta (Rainbow eucalyptus)
A eucalyptus well known and sought after for the colors of its trunk. It is the only autochthonous eucalyptus in the northern hemisphere, and it grows in jungle areas. This brings with it the problem that it is surely the least cold resistant eucalyptus. Still, something holds. It is curious that this plant is not sold in nurseries, you have to buy seeds, which luckily grow very fast. This causes individuals to take advantage and ask excessive prices for them on second-hand sales pages. Keep in mind that practically all the photos on the Internet of this plant are edited, with the contrast raised. Its colors are striking, but nowhere near as vivid as they appear in most photos. Its real color is that of the photo we have put here.
didierea madagascariensis
Here we could include all the family didiereaceae, a family endemic to Madagascar very close to cacti, but from whose areoles leaves instead of thorns grow. This family is made up of some of the rarest and strangest trees in appearance. This specific species has areoles at the end of fine twigs from which dozens of needle-like leaves emerge, similar to those of pine trees. These areolas are surrounded by spines coming from the stem. His growth is typical of the family, numerous thick branches that come out from the base and rise several meters with hardly any branching. They are not usually used in gardening unlike alluaudia procera, another species of its family that is quite common.
Fouquieria spp. (ocotillos)
This genus belonging to the family Fouquieriaceae includes very diverse plants, all indigenous to the deserts of southern North America. Most are semi-succulent shrubs, but it includes two species that stand out from the rest:
Fouquieria splendens: The ocotillo, a caudiciform shrub with numerous fine vertical branches emerging from the base. It only has leaves a few weeks after the rains, the rest of the year they look like dry sticks. Very resistant to cold, it is sometimes seen in desert gardens, but it is not as widely used as one would expect considering its appearance.
Fouquieria columnaris: The candle, a succulent tree extremely slow growing. It reaches about 10m, but it can take 500 years to reach that height. Have a very thick and scarcely branched (or unbranched) main stem with numerous very fine lateral twigs that only grow the year you throw them out. After a great drought they tend to bend, since their internal structure needs to be filled with water to stay rigid. Not very resistant to cold, it is not usually used in gardening due to its slow growth.
Banksia spp.
These plants of the Proteaceae family they are endemic from Australia, where they form forests. In this genus there are trees, shrubs and creeping plants, with leaves of all kinds, but always sclerophyllous (hard). Their thick bark allows them to withstand fires with almost no damage. Another very interesting feature of these plants is their flowering. They form a kind of large pineapples that are completely filled with flowers. They are not used as much in gardening as you would expect, and it is because of the type of roots they have, No.support soils with phosphorus nor the attack of Phytophthora spp.
wollemia nobilis
An Australian seedling of the family Araucariaceae in danger of extinction. Many consider it one of the rarest trees in the world. It has an extremely primitive growth, with a vertical main trunk from which there are short, completely horizontal lateral branches that do not branch again. Male and female cones appear from the end of these branches. Was on the verge of extinction, with fewer than 100 living adult specimens in a very small area, but cuttings and seeds were exported to botanical gardens around the world and from them has become a relatively common plant (albeit very expensive) in collector's nurseries. You need an extremely acidic substrate and it has no defenses against phytophthora, so the soil cannot be left to puddle.
And that's it. I hope you liked our selection of rare trees and that you have learned something. Many of these can be obtained with some ease, so if you want to try growing some… go ahead!
