From Hawaii to Japan to Yemen, these are five of the most beautiful trees in the world. Keep them in mind for your next holiday!
In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhist influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.
The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality and for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled “Sakura”, and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
Dragon Blood Trees in Yemen
The dragon blood tree is the most famous and distinctive plant of the island of Socotra. It has a unique and strange appearance, described as “upturned, densely packed crown having the shape of an uprightly held umbrella”. This evergreen species is named after its dark red resin, which is known as “dragon’s blood”. Unlike most monocot plants, the Dracaenaceae display secondary growth, D. cinnabari even has growth zones resembling tree rings found in dicot tree species. Along with other arborescent Dracaena species it has a distinctive growth habit called “dracoid habitus”. Its leaves are found only at the end of its youngest branches; its leaves are all shed every 3 or 4 years before new leaves simultaneously mature. Branching tends to occur when the growth of the terminal bud is stopped, due to either flowering or traumatic events (e.g. herbivory)
Japanese Maple Trees in Oregon
The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden occupying 5.5 acres (22,000 m²), located within Washington Park in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, USA. It is operated by the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, a private non-profit corporation, which leased the site from the city in the early 1960s and whose members elect the trustees of the Society. Stephen D. Bloom has been the chief executive officer of the Japanese Garden Society since 2005.
The garden was designed by Professor Takuma Tono. The garden was dedicated and design began in 1963; the garden opened to the public in 1967. In a study conducted in 2004 by the Journal of Japanese Gardening, it was ranked second out of 300 public Japanese gardens outside of Japan for highest quality. The Japanese ambassador to the U.S., Nobuo Matsunaga, said “I believe this garden to be the most authentic Japanese garden, including those in Japan.” This is notable because a traditional Japanese garden normally takes hundreds of years to evolve and mature, but the Portland Japanese Garden evolved much more quickly—a fusion of hurried western style and stately eastern expression.
Rainbow eucalyptus trees
Eucalyptus deglupta is a tall tree, commonly known as the rainbow eucalyptus, Mindanao gum, or rainbow gum. It is the only Eucalyptus species found naturally in the Northern Hemisphere. Its natural distribution spans New Britain, New Guinea, Seram, Sulawesi and Mindanao.
The unique multi-hued bark is the most distinctive feature of the tree. Patches of outer bark are shed annually at different times, showing a bright green inner bark. This then darkens and matures to give blue, purple, orange and then maroon tones. They grow 6 feet (1.8 m) wide and over 200 feet (61 m) tall.
Wisteria trees in Japan
Wisteria is a plant that grows all over Japan and which has captivated Japanese people for a long time. The flower clusters hang down for the tip of the plant’s long vines and sway beautifully in the wind. Wisteria is so beloved that it even appears in Waka, a classic Japanese poem. At Kawachi Fujien in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, you can enjoy the grand sight of these beautiful wisteria flowers.
Kawachi Fujien is a private wisteria garden established in 1977. It is open only during wisteria season and when leaves the leaves change colours in autumn. Generally wisteria is said to be at its best at the beginning of May, but being in the warm southern climate of Kyushu, the best time to visit Kawachi Fujien is in late April. Approximately 150 trees comprising 22 types of wisteria in a variety of colors grow in a 10,000 square meters area.