This photograph is another reward of my walking to the auto repair shop and back. I was pretty much walking the route I take on my bike, but, of course much slower, and as a result I saw things that I have missed when racing by on my bike. I don't believe I have ever seen anything like this before! The "thing" on the bottom of the tree trunk is called a "burl." Why I pulled that out of my brain is anyone's guess, but I tried the term in Google and it is a burl. I have seen much smaller spherical burls on tree trunks before but they are usually some distance up the trunk from the ground. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Wow, who knew that? Most burls I have seen are nowhere near the size of this one. Some burls are harvested from trees with a chain saw and then used by woodworkers to make astounding wood bowls or other woodworking pieces.
This tree looks so odd to me. It looks like it was set on top of the ground and is not rooted to the earth. Great photo and lesson.
ReplyDeleteJoan
After reading your story, wonder if years and years of trauma from a weed whacker might have caused this.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting looking tree and interesting explanation. Trace
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, all I could think of were the beautiful wood bowls and vases that I've seen at craft fairs from talented artists. It is a very interesting tree and I hope it lasts a long time...betsey
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