The tree that grows fruit on its trunkThe Jabuticaba is an unusual name for an equally unusual-looki

The tree that grows fruit on its trunkThe Jabuticaba is an unusual name for an equally unusual-looking tree. Rather than growing in bunches at the end of branches, the fruit of the tree - also known as the Brazilian Grape (Plinia cauliflora) - grows directly on the trunk. In botany, this is known as cauliflory (yes, cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbage and the likes are indeed flowers), and in the case of Jabuticaba is thought to be an adaptation to promote both pollination and seed dispersal by animals that don’t climb or fly. The tree’s name - jabuticaba - is an ode to this: jabuti- meaning ‘tortoise’ and -caba meaning ‘place,’ or, the place where tortoises are found. This may be a description of the feeding frenzy which inevitably occurred once the fruits had ripened and littered the ground.Where the fruit-covered tree looks like a serious case of arborous acne, the flowers - which cover the tree twice a year - give it a frosty, almost alien beauty. Jabuticaba is native to South American countries such as Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil, and the fruits are widely consumed in both their pure forms and fermented in wines, liquors, and jellies.VPReferences: http://bit.ly/1UbE7fV, http://bit.ly/1ujqeJdImages: Wikimedia commons (http://bit.ly/1XVYIX5), Mariana Soares (https://flic.kr/p/92dwmV) -- source link

More pics about