Fun Trivia : Angiosperms and Gymnosperms

Structure Sub-topic of: Botany Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 20 general entries. Special Topics Cruciferae: the Plant Behind the Condiment Redwood Adaptations Name That Fruit! Wild Flowers, Who Am I Plants in the Family Ancardiaceae A Partridge in a Pear Tree Leaves Herbal Terminology Names of Flowers Field Crops The Importance of Trees Name That Fruit -- Botanically Speaking British Flowers: Historical Culinary Uses Plant Taxonomy All About Bamboo Not Just For Decoration Seedy Section of the Forest I Hate Blackberries! The Universal Language of Plant Names The Fascinating World of Carnivorous Plants

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Angiosperms and Gymnosperms

According to the Bible, Eve ate the forbidden fruit which could have been a fig. What did Adam and Eve then do?

Fun Fig Facts


Used fig leaves to cover their "private" parts.. "And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." Genesis 3:7



All fig trees have laticifers. What are laticifers?

Fun Fig Facts


Cells that produce latex as a secondary metabolite.. The Indian rubber tree, Ficus elastica, is not the same as the one used for making rubber for commercial purposes, this is the para-rubber tree or Hevea brasiliensis and is in the family Euphorbiaceae.



What plant family is the fig in?

Fun Fig Facts


Moraceae. The Urticaceae or nettle family is quite closely related to the mulberry or fig family. The Apocynaceae family has a milky sap like the fig family.



On which continent did figs probably originate?

Fun Fig Facts


Asia. Birds as well as the silk road probably helped the migration of this widespread genus.



What's a caprifig?

Fun Fig Facts


All of these (A hermaphrodite fig with both female and male flowers inside., A fig that only goats will eat., A fig that is suitable for a fig wasp to lay her eggs in.). The figs suitable for human consumption only have viable female flowers inside them so when the wasp goes in to lay eggs and doesn't find the right conditions the flowers are then pollinated.



What spiritual leader had an "ah ha" moment while sitting under a type of Ficus tree?

Fun Fig Facts


Siddattha Gautama. A Ficus called a Bodhi or Bo tree that is a fourth generation descendant of the one Buddha meditated under over 2000 years ago resides in India to this day.



What is the Latin name for the common fig?

Fun Fig Facts


Ficus carica. There are over 800 species of figs.



The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is said to be a sapling from the original Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained Enlightenment. Planted in 288 B.C., the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is reportedly the oldest known living human-planted tree in the world. Sacred to Buddhists in Sri Lanka and worldwide, the tree is protected by a wall erected in the mid-1700s. What was the primary threat to the tree that led to the construction of a protective barrier?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Wild elephants. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree is said to be the southern branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi, under which Buddha became Enlightened. Sri Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka from India in 249 B.C., before giving of itself to establish Jaya Sri Maha.



At 13,000 years old, the Jurupa Hills oak tree in Southern California is the world's oldest known living organism. Scientists have noted that this scrappy tree has survived despite being located in an unnatural habitat. A member of the Palmer oak family, this tree prefers much higher elevations, with a cooler, wetter climate than is found in the desert region of Riverside County. Still, it grows atop a small hill amid dry chaparral, wedged between granite boulders and buffeted by high winds. What has allowed this hearty tree to grow in an environment hostile to its species?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


The tree has cloned itself repeatedly. Ring counts show that the Jurupa Oak is growing very slowly, about 1/20th of an inch per year. At that rate, it has spread out only about 25 yards over the course of 13,000 years. And oceans away, as this stalwart tree was slowly spreading its branches, the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge were built.



One of the oldest and rarest trees on Earth, and thought to be long-extinct, the Wollemi pine was "discovered" in 1994 by an avid naturalist. The Wollemi pine, which is not a true pine, is a member of the 200 million-year-old Araucariaceae family. The oldest known Wollemi pine fossil dates back 90 million years. Today, there are less than 100 mature trees in the wild. Where was this pre-historic plant found alive and well?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Australia. A major effort is underway to preserve and repopulate the Wollemi pine through the sale of seedlings, with all proceeds going to back to fund the conservation. The Wollemi pine tree is proving to be hardy and versatile in cultivation since it is surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. The Wollemi pine tree can be maintained in a pot almost indefinitely, so it can grace the patios, verandas and courtyards of urbanites. This bodes well for the Wollemi, as it strives to co-exist with man as it once did with dinosaurs.



El Árbol del Tule is a Montezuma cypress tree on the grounds of a church in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. While most trees boast a significant height-to-girth ratio, El Árbol del Tule stands only 116 feet high but measures more than 119 feet around. Folklore states that the tree was planted 1,400 years ago by a priest of the Aztec wind god. In which god's name was this chubby tree planted?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Ehecatl. El Árbol del Tule is the stoutest tree on Earth. According to National Geographic, it is the inspiration for an annual festival in Oaxaca, celebrated on the second Monday of October.



Pando, or The Trembling Giant, is a grand expanse of quaking aspen trees that spreads over more than 100 acres. Each of the 47,000 tree trunks in the area emanates from a single organism, and shares a giant underground root system. It is estimated that Pando weighs 6,615 tons, making it the heaviest living organism on the planet. Where is this quaking marvel located?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Utah. The quaking aspen is the most widespread tree in North America. A nearly continuous formation stretches between Newfoundland and Maryland in the Eastern United States, and another spans from Alaska to Washington in the West. Aspens also populate the Appalachian Mountains south to Georgia, and stretch from the Rocky Mountains to northern Mexico.



It should come as no surprise to anyone that the world's tallest species of trees is the Sequoia sempervirens, commonly known as the giant redwood, California redwood or coast redwood. The tallest measured Sequoia standing today is known as Hyperion, a coast redwood which is estimated to be between 700 to 800 years old. Topping out at an astonishing 379.3 feet, researchers have stated that one thing has prevented Hyperion from reaching 380 feet. What is stunting Hyperion's growth?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Woodpecker damage. Hyperion was discovered on August 25, 2006 in a remote area of the Redwood National Park in Northern California. The exact location of the tree has not been revealed to the public in order to protect the tree from the effects of human traffic. The tree is estimated to contain 18,600 cubic feet of wood.



Methuselah is often the first answer that's shouted out when the question arises, "what is the oldest living tree?". Yet that answer would be wrong. When the now 4,800-year-old Methuselah first broke ground, the Sunland Baobab was already around 1,200 years old. In 1993, the hollows of the twin trunks of the Sunland Baobab were turned into a pub and a wine cellar, and the tree has become a popular tourist attraction. In what country is the Sunland Baobab located?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


South Africa. Carbon dating estimates that the Sunland Baobab is around 6,000 years old, which would make it one of the oldest trees in the world. The tree's trunk consists of two connected parts, each with its own enormous hollows connected by a narrow passage. The diameter of the tree is 10.64 meters; it stands 19 meters tall; it has a crown diameter of 30.2 meters; and the circumference of the trunk is 33.4 meters.



In the early 1800s, out of love for a great white oak tree on his property, William H. Jackson deeded to the tree ownership of itself and the land surrounding it. The deed is purported to read, in part, "... for and in consideration of the great affection which he bears said tree, and his great desire to see it protected, has conveyed, and by these presents does convey unto the said oak tree, entire possession of itself and of all land within eight feet of it on all sides." Where does The Tree that Owns Itself plant its roots?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Athens, Georgia. Only one person has ever claimed to have seen Jackson's deed. And, if such a deed did exist, it would have no legal standing under common law. However, it is the official position of Athens-Clarke County that the tree, in spite of the law, does own itself.



Once known as the world's loneliest tree, the Arbre du Ténéré was a 10-foot acacia tree that stood in the middle of the Sahara Desert in northern Nigeria. Located 250 miles away from the nearest tree, it was an important landmark, marking the site of a well 40 meters deep. This once monumental tree no longer stands. What brought about its demise in 1973?

Pulp Facts: Truly Tremendous Trees


Mowed down by a drunk driver. The dead Arbre du Ténéré was taken to the National Museum of Niger, and a metal pole was sunk in its place to forever mark not only the site of the tree, but also the location of the well.