My amazingly knowledgeable friend Nerida had this to say: "I think it is a baby Norfolk Island Pine. If it is it is a very interesting history. In the 1700s there was a shortage of straight wood tall enough to be the mast in sailing ships. It had to be imported from Finland through Russia. When Captain Cook sailed past Norfolk (they did not stop) in 1775 the botanist noted the tall pine trees and wondered that they might make excellent masts. So no one goes back to this area of the world for 13 years when they show up with a ship full of convicts to Norfolk to use this labor to harvest masts and make linen from a flax looking plant. It turns out the Norfolk Island pine in like balsa wood and the flax plant isn't flax. In 6 years only 3 yards of horrid quality 'linen' was made because before Norfolk was abandoned. The tree adorns their flag. Norfolk because famous again when Pitcairn had to be abandoned due to drought and typhoons. The British government drew a line along that latitude until it found another island, Norfolk, and said repatriate everyone off Pitcairn to Norfolk."
I just found out it is a Bunya pine or Bunya nut pine tree. It is an even more ancient tree found in Australia. Evidently they have a few small sections of forest of these and tall ferns on the ground. (I have never seen it). The nuts are huge like the Norfolk but edible by humans.
Your not as knowledgeable as I thought but humble friend, Nerida
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ReplyDeleteMy amazingly knowledgeable friend Nerida had this to say: "I think it is a baby Norfolk Island Pine. If it is it is a very interesting history. In the 1700s there was a shortage of straight wood tall enough to be the mast in sailing ships. It had to be imported from Finland through Russia. When Captain Cook sailed past Norfolk (they did not stop) in 1775 the botanist noted the tall pine trees and wondered that they might make excellent masts. So no one goes back to this area of the world for 13 years when they show up with a ship full of convicts to Norfolk to use this labor to harvest masts and make linen from a flax looking plant. It turns out the Norfolk Island pine in like balsa wood and the flax plant isn't flax. In 6 years only 3 yards of horrid quality 'linen' was made because before Norfolk was abandoned. The tree adorns their flag.
ReplyDeleteNorfolk because famous again when Pitcairn had to be abandoned due to drought and typhoons. The British government drew a line along that latitude until it found another island, Norfolk, and said repatriate everyone off Pitcairn to Norfolk."
I just found out it is a Bunya pine or Bunya nut pine tree. It is an even more ancient tree found in Australia. Evidently they have a few small sections of forest of these and tall ferns on the ground. (I have never seen it). The nuts are huge like the Norfolk but edible by humans.
ReplyDeleteYour not as knowledgeable as I thought but humble friend,
Nerida