| Oaxaca,
Mexico: A new 12 x 150 Pinus strobus |
Robert
Van Pelt |
| Mar
02, 2005 05:06 PST |
Friends,
Yes, another tree for the 12 x 150 club. This may seem
strange, but I am reporting this tree from 8,000 feet in a
cloud forest in southern Mexico. Known to science as Pinus
strobus var. chiapensis, I guess this tree qualifies.
I just spent three weeks in southern Mexico with my friends
Bonnie and Chris. Chris is the author of the Gymnosperm
database (www.conifers.org), and we spent the bulk of the time
trying to sort out 29 species of endemic pines. I also was
able to squeeze in some measuring of several giant Taxodiums.
Our tour started and ended in Mexico City and its 23 million
inhabitants. I must say I had some apprehension about visiting
this place, having heard many a horror story as to crime,
police corruption, unbreathable air, etc. Fortunately, at
least for my part, I cannot confirm any of these rumors, as we
experienced no bad situations. On the contrary, I found the
people extremely nice and the food was outstanding. The food
and nightlife of Oaxaca was particularly enjoyable, as was
Puebla – the place of origin of Mole.
Perhaps the most mountainous large country in the world, we
achieved several firsts for me. There are roads to the top of
the fourth and fifth highest peaks in the country, both
volcanos, as well as a high pass between the second and third
highest. So, we got our little rental car above 11,000 feet
thrice, once over 14,000. Timberline is not as dramatic as I
am used to in the western US – tussock grasses dominate and
the timberline tree (Pinus hartwegii) does not achieve the
gnarliness I am used to in Nevada and California.
This is the dry season in southern Mexico, and we did not see
a drop of rain during our visit. Most of the vegetation was
barren and, despite the high elevation, was very hot, dry, and
dusty. The vegetation is typical of other North American high
deserts, with plenty of legumes (acacia, prosopis) and cactus.
The forests occur higher up still, such as on the giant
volcanos. Pinus and Quercus are the most abundant tree species
in these forests, with Mexico having about 42 endemic species
of Pinus and well over 100 species of Quercus. It was also
interesting to see many of our old friends Fraxinus, Alnus,
Magnolia, Carpinus virginaiana, Liquidambar styraciflua,
Prunus serotina, and Pinus strobus.
The single best day for me was the day we drove north from
Oaxaca through dry Pinus – Quercus forest. We ascended to a
pass where we met with the wet, Gulf side of the mountains.
Here we were at 10,000 feet, just short of timberline which
consisted of small, stunted Pinus hartwegii and tussock
grasses. Two hours later we found ourselves at 300 feet
elevation in a lowland tropical rainforest – complete with
giant strangler figs, tree ferns, and countless bird, tree,
and epiphyte species. I was amazed – I know of no other road
in North America where one can experience such dramatic change
in such a short distance. What I found most amazing was that
the mid to upper elevations were nearly as moist as the
lowlands, yet with tree genera that were familiar to us the
US. This is where we measured a Pinus strobus 12 feet by 157
feet. The Quercus species here (many species
of both evergreen and deciduous) are the real epiphyte magnets
– many a giant tree being completely smothered with
bromeliads, orchids, and lianas.
Of course the single most remarkable tree was the giant
Taxodium at the mission outside of Oaxaca. I spent about four
hours there on two separate visits collecting measurements of
this amazing plant. I am not sure spending the day in the tree
with Will and his friends (as with the Middleton Oak) would
have helped very much, as tapes would have been useless. The
crown consisted of nothing even close to round – everything
would have had to have been measured using some form of
calipers. One branch measured six inches in one dimension, yet
over 4 feet thick in the other! Although I knew something
about the tree from having seen countless photos, I still
found the tree far more impressive than expected. The crown
was full of massive fusions that occurred where giant, arching
branch systems intersected with others.
Located within a few blocks of this tree were six other giant
specimens, one of which was 6 meters in diameter. Elsewhere on
our journey I measured several others in the 5 – 6 m
diameter range, but none were really in the same class as the
Santa Maria del Tule tree. One of these had a spring emerging
from its massive root system, filling a giant pool where the
local residents were conducting a mass baptism.
We did manage to spend a couple of days on a Pacific beach
drinking out of coconuts and eating mangos, but the heat,
humidity, and no conifers to study made me happy to get back
into the mountains. Overall, the trip was a blast and I would
like to schedule more trips down there. At eleven Pesos to a
dollar, we were able to enjoy ourselves without being too
frugal.
Cheers,
- BVP |
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