Native/Exotic

I just couldn't let this 2thingsphotochallenge get away.

I've been mulling over this one all week and then it finally came to me. The Eucalyptus tree is the exotic. It is not a native tree to our country. It reigns from Australia, where there are more that 700 species, mostly native to this continent. Most of the Eucalyptus trees found in other regions of the world have been planted.

The picture of the Eucalyptus below was taken in my backyard. It stands approximately 100 feet tall. Just below this Eucalyptus are many live oaks, some blue and some scrub oak, which are native to this area.


Here are some pics of the scrub oak, but look, underneath the oak is another exotic it's an Agave, otherwise known as a "Century Plant".

There are some 125 species of this plant in Mexico while there are only 15 in the U.S. This species is an Agave atroviriens, it can weigh over two tons. This plant here is actually 10 ft. tall.



Here's a closer look. I should have placed my husband next to it's prickly leaves to give you some perspective. These stalks are well over 6 ft. long and approximately 15 ft. across. This particular genus will die once it flowers which is about 20 years, it's starting to flower.

click on photos to enlarge:


Now for the fun trivia:
The Agaves have been used as food source as far back as 1000 A.D.
Today, just across the border in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, in the town of Tequila, they are extracting Mescal to distill for Tequila from this Agave. By law it's the only Mescal that can be called Tequila.

Perhaps I should consider tapping into this sucker for my Margarita's this summer.

You do not want to be pricked by this cactus nor try to dismantle it without proper protection as it will cause numbing to your limbs, temporarily of course. Now you could suck the Mescal from the plant and your numbing problems will subside.

Have a lovely week! Thanks as always for your comments and visits!

My other blogspot: "The Way I See It"