Re: Re. Araucaria
theryans@xtra.co.nz,Internet writes:
>The other "tree" which requires alertness and good sprinting
>capabilities in the observer, is the coconut palm. During my Army days -
>in 1946 - I lived for six months in a tented camp in a coconut
>plantation in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. Coconut palms
>deliver their crop by dropping the nuts (complete with their thick
>fibrous husk these weight several pounds) from the top of the palm,
>often 40 feet, sometimes more, above the ground. There is a very brief
>rustle as the nut brushes through the leaves, then a THUD! as it reaches
>the ground. That's not always the end of the drop either, often the nut
>lands on the spreading base of the palm, and ricochets off horizontally
>at quite high speed for several yards - enough to break an ankle if one
>was nearby.
>One fell on the 2 x 2 inch ridgepole of my tent one night and broke it,
>another fell through the (opened) windscreen of one of our trucks, which
>had been somewhat imprudently parked. Surprisingly, I do not remember
>anybody being hurt, although most people in the unit had a "narrow
>escape" story.
Coconuts can also turn into missiles in hurricanes as well. Id also
hate to be under a Coco de mer tree as well! Anyways, in the sierra
nevada, one tree you should be somewhat cautious around is the
Ponderosa Pines. Nice spiny sharp cones that litter the groun
underneath them. No fun if you trip and fall! Im not sure how much they
drop their cones, but i wouldnt want to be under one.
