3rd Slice of Life by Mike Fitzgerald by Sony Forums Challenges

Slice of Life
by Mike Fitzgerald


	Mike Fitzgerald

No, I didn't kill it myself! :-((

Olympus OM-2n ,Zuiko 35-70 mm f/3.6
Ektachrome 64 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

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Guest		11-Jun-2002 07:36
It's the centre of a Soft Tree Fern — Dicksonia antarctica . The shot was only justifiable because this specimen had already been destroyed by vandals. For more info: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/margate/antarctica.html

Guest		09-Jun-2002 07:27
Not your ordinary sort of "tree", although that forms part of its common name, and definitely not of the genus Eucalyptus. And yes, we see Eucalypts in CA quite a lot in movies -- mainly some of the Blue Gums and the occasional E. camaldulensis (River Red Gum). And Ann, I sincerely hope that you wouldn't have seen one of these in this condition during your trip, as they have can have a growth rate as low as 1 centimetre per year! This one had been vandalised into oblivion, so it made no difference for me to section it for the photo. The dark spongy stuff around the core is the detritus of old growth. I'm guessing that the tree you saw in the outback was the Baobab (or Boab) or bottle tree ("weird" certainly fits!) that uses its oversize lower trunk to conserve water. Not sure about its antiquity, though it could be considerable. The oldest we have is the Tasmanian Huon Pine -- one specimen has been ring dated at 3700 years, and they are known to have been a stable community for around 10,000 years. -- Mike

Scutellata		08-Jun-2002 05:28
Fungus ~ Scutellata

Ann Chaikin		07-Jun-2002 20:41
Not a eukaliptos is it? That's the most prevalent tree in Australia. (and Northern California, I might add.) Or is it that weird tree that is one of the oldest on the planet that we saw in the outback? Ann C.

Scutellata		06-Jun-2002 02:30
Some kind of sea creature? ~ Scutellata

Sony Forums Challenges		04-Jun-2002 23:21
An Australian tree... :) Actually it looks kinda familiar in a weird sort of way but I can't place it. I was in Australia in 1985 but I can't remember if I saw anything like this when I was there. Ann C.

Guest		04-Jun-2002 05:20
"Kind of bizarre tree stump" is a fair description, so vegetable is technically correct but it's not "a vegetable" in the normal sense. So what sort of tree? The main core is about 6 or 7 inches across, btw. -- Mike

Sony Forums Challenges		04-Jun-2002 03:19
Some kind of vegetable is my guess. The inside looks like an egg plant but the outside sure doesn't. Very interesting. Nifty pattern. Ann C.

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