I was in Malta a few days ago and saw several weird-looking trees (or possibly cacti, ferns, etc.). They were about 20 feet tall (6 m) with tiers of branches up to 2 feet (60 cm) apart. Each branch grew upward at about 30 degrees (pi/6 radians) from horizontal. Instead of leaves, the trees had long, finger-like green things (maybe like cacti – I didn’t get a close look) pointing almost straight up.
My family hadn’t seen anything like them before. I originally thought they could be fake trees used as cell phone antennae, but they were too small and looked to be alive. Right before we left, I remembered to take a picture so I could ask about it here:
Does anyone have any idea what it is? TIA, as appropriate.
Yes, I thought the “leaves” looked rather like a monkey-puzzle tree (the best known *Araucaria *species), although the form of the tree is obviously much less dense.
Was it the same as this? Not that that is much help as it doesn’t name the plant, but it might be a better picture.
I thought the leaves were smooth when I saw the tree, but evidence seems to indicate that I was wrong. I believe they were Norfolk Island pines (A. heterophylla), as jayjay linked to (and what I think Colophon linked to as well). Maybe the ones I saw were trimmed for appearance and/or size, since they seem to grow much taller than that. Knowing what to look for, I found a few links (e.g., this) that talk about those trees being in Malta.
And on this subject: Did you know that, with sufficient care and careful technique, you can pet a monkey puzzle tree – without getting your hand shredded?
Considering that Mr. Dibble lives in South Africa, I don’t think he’s saying there was anything wrong with NIPs, but with SOUTH AFRICA, in the bad old days.
