We love trees and we love sharing stories about our neighborhood trees with Buzz readers.
The other day we spotted an interesting pair of trees, an Italian Stone Pine and a Phoenix Canariensis Palm living happily on Plymouth Blvd. in Windsor Square. This discovery really surprised us because, as it turns out, this is the second pair we found in the area. The other pair lives in Fremont Place. The Fremont Place pair is more dramatic with the pine literally wrapped around the palm. We wondered, was this unusual to see palm and stone pine trees paired like this?
“It’s not common,” Judy Horton, Larchmont-based garden designer told us. “Pines don’t have aerial roots like orchids and philodendrons that do typically grow on trees.”
Horton explained that the trees seems to nurture each other benefitting both trees.
“If you look at the trunk structure of those palms you can see that the remnants of fronds that have died can catch debris and create a good environment for a seed germinate,” explained Horton. “Because those old frond bases are dead they are slowly decaying, providing nutrients and trapping moisture to support the other tree. Amazing how those roots can grab on and give enough support to the pine.”
In his fascinating book, “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate — Discoveries From a Secret World,” German Forest Ranger Peter Wohlleben, described how trees nurture each other. Trees are social organisms that communicate with each other and even after a tree has died, it can still provide nutrients to seedlings.
Our local pine and palm pairs are examples of this nurturing that has been strong enough to sustain these street trees for decades. How cool is that?
Keep a look out for other pairs and let us know if you spot any. We’d be happy to report on your finds.
Love this!