Mystery tree
- To: Mediterranean Plants
- Subject: Mystery tree
- From: D*
- Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 03:26:59 -0400
On Sunday we had lunch outdoors in an inland village taverna here in
Corfu (Greece), and were struck by the beautiful foliage and dense shade
of the overhanging trees which looked like nothing we'd ever seen. The
leaves are about 20cm. long, discreetly fuzzy and of a fresh vivid
green, (at least at this time of year).
The owner of the establishment said this tree can only be found in this
small inland valley of the island, and nobody knew the name till twenty
or so years ago when a visiting agronomist from Athens identified ii as
a "Brousalentia" (SIC)--the spelling is mine based on phonetics. He
further told us that it has no flowers or seeds and harbors no insects.
and is the perfect shade tree. New shoots pop up all around it in the
fall and are used for propagation. One of the older specimens had five
or six separate trunks, about 40-50cm. thick. The height is about 7
meters, but the owner says he cuts of the top growth every winter (it is
deciduous) to keep it bushy.
Needless to say I haven't found any references to "Brousalentia."
Does any one have any ideas?
Cali Doxiadis
