Boojum Tree l Remarkable Adaptation

Boojum Tree, Fouquieria columnaris — Source: http://bit.ly/2TM9cJ4 Photographer: Tomas Castelazo CC License: http://bit.ly/2QZT99x

Boojum Tree Facts

Firstly, the extremely unique and fascinating variety of flora known as the Boojum Tree possesses a highly distinctive physical nature. Secondly, as a result, the fabulous plant easily stands out from other related species.
Furthermore, its rather colorful and quite memorable common name was taken from the famous poem by Lewis Carroll. Meanwhile, it also bears the somewhat cumbersome, and lengthy, scientific name of Fouquieria columnaris.
Quite unfortunately, however, the impressive tree also has an extremely limited range of habitation. This, therefore, renders the continued survival of this fascinating species a matter of great concern among many experts.
But for the moment, the situation of the Boojum Tree seems to be stable. That’s because its overall numbers appears to remain sufficient to maintain its population. Due to this fact, the IUCN does not yet list it on the Red List.

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Boojum Tree Physical Description

It must be pointed out that the remarkable Boojum Tree earns its claim to fame for reasons other than its size. That’s because, regardless of its remarkable appearance, the tree ranks as a moderate-sized species, compared to others.

In addition, its stature serves to garner quite a bit of interest. That holds true due to the fact that mature specimens also sometimes attain a height of as much as 70 ft (20 m). This occurs despite the often prominent curving of the trunk and limbs.

Yet, regardless of its relatively high growth, the trunk of the tree typically remains quite slim, compared to similar plants. In point of fact, this trunk usually only achieves an astonishingly meager thickness. This normally equals about 10 in (25 cm).

Finally, the limbs of the awesome Boojum Tree also stand out for their uniqueness. That holds true because the thin branches typically grow at roughly right angles. These also generally develop a dense covering of small leaves, along with the trunk.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Ericales
Family: Fouquieriaceae
Genus: Fouquieria
Species: F. columnaris

Boojum Tree Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

The amazing Boojum Tree confuses many experts, at least in regard to its habitat range. That holds true due to the fact that the marvelous species has a highly limited range of distribution. Furthermore, that range also remains considered extremely unusual.

This state of confusion occurs because it appears to be native almost solely to the Baja Peninsula, in Mexico, in North America. In point of fact, the lone exception to this appears to be one small population, located in the Sonora region.

This distinctive range makes one pertinent fact plainly clear to researchers. That’s the fact that the plant obviously evolved to inhabit extremely dry regions. As a result, this naturally includes the deserts surrounding the region.

In addition, the wood of the remarkable Boojum Tree holds special characteristics. That’s because this wood has a spongy consistency that tends to soak up water extremely effectively. This trait evolved to help it survive the harsh climate.

Finally, this tree conceals yet another impressive evolutionary adaptation. That’s the amazing fact that its trunk also happens to develop as hollow quite often. Nature makes use of this trait, because this allows it to serve as home to colonies of honeybees.