Botany Photo of the Day

A thank you to van+s@Flickr (original image | BPotD Flickr Group Pool) for sharing today's photograph, taken inside a greenhouse at New York Botanical Garden.

One look at this photograph of the boojum tree and I was immediately reminded of my image of Fouquieria splendens. Makes sense, I suppose – they are (now) both in the same genus. However, a search for Idria columnaris yields two-thirds the results of a search for the current scientific name, so this synonym is still often used. At least in one sense, it is too bad that this species has been moved into Fouquieria: Idria is far easier to spell.

The Virginia Tech Forestry has a factsheet on Fouquieria columnaris that is worth visiting to see more of this plant. I particularly like this quote: “VERY UNUSUAL, considered by many to be the strangest looking tree on earth.”. The University of Wisconsin Botany Department has some photographs of this species (of a decent size) showing its habit: Fouquieria (ignore the photo that is titled F. columnaris Flowering Plant – it is actually Fouquieria splendens).

If you have access, you might want to read the following for a detailed examination of the biology of this species: Humphrey, RR. 1933. A Study of Idria columnaris and Fouquieria splendens. Am. J. Bot. 22(2): 184-207.

Photography resource link: I don't often link to camera gear because it seems too many photographers get distracted by the tools instead of taking photographs, so I deliberately try to avoid it (except when I'm researching techniques and learn that I need a different tool). However, I have to make an exception for this: the Seitz 6 x 17 Digital – 160 megapixels scan back camera that can capture an image in 0.5 second (a scan back camera operates more like a scanner, so you have to imagine a really fast, super high-quality, portable scanner with the depth of field of a camera). And for only the low, low price of 28900 Euros or ~ 37000 USD. Fun to imagine in idle moments.