Meryta Denhamii of New Caledonia

The Meryta Denhamii tree (this is also its binomial scientific name) is native to the south pacific island nation of New Caledonia (east of Australia). The Meryta Denhamii has long leaves. The leaves in these images are about 2-3 feet long (75cm) and about 8-12 inches wide (25cm).
The flowers of this tree species are quite interesting and unique as you can see from the images above and below. The individual ball like flowers are about 1 inch in diameter.
I photographed two trees for this post, both of which I found in the Spanish city of Malaga. The tree below is in the "paseo del parque" gardens that run along the port. The second tree was in the Picaso gardens along the Avenida de Andalucia.

The large leaves have a thick, stiff spine that runs the lenght of the leaf that helps keep its from.
The image below is of the bark on the main trunk of the tree. Malaga has a sub-tropical climate that does not experience freezing tempuratures which is one factor that has enable this tree species to be cultivated there.

1 comment:

  1. Hi,
    Really interesting blog and somne lovely photos showcasing how fascinating trees can really be.
    I wondered if you've come across some videos about trees in what is left of Diani's rainforest. The Colobus Conservation are working to protect what is remaining. (thought you'd might find it interesting) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKEzqU2-HlBgwpcqZ1E0balTvnKq9-5rF

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