The state tree of South Carolina. The Palmetto tree.

Описание: The Palmetto Tree: The State Tree of South Carolina

I’ve quietly begun a personal quest to visit specimens of every state tree in the USA to promote our nation’s forests. I recently spent some time exploring the Sea Pines Forest Preserve in Hilton Head South Carolina. The preserve is managed by the Sea Pines Forest Preserve Foundation and is an amazing showcase of coastal southern US forests. In the middle of the preserve is a site known as the “Shell Ring”. It consists of a giant ring of sea shells mounded about 3 feet from the forest floor and approx 150 ft in diameter. This structure was built by native americans 4000-5000 years ago! I have visited this site several times in my life and continue to be in awe with each visit. To highlight the site, as well as the Palm Tree, I climbed a tall Loblolly Pine tree to get a birds-eye view. This allowed me to see the Palm tree from the top down. Palm trees are Monocots. Monocots have one cotyledon while dicots have 2. Other monocots are bamboo and the yucca plant. From the top I could see the tree covered in flower structures. These are valuable food sources for native pollinators. Once fertilized, these structures will become the source of thousands of seeds (not coconut, that is a different species). The palm tree was chosen as the state tree of South Carolina because of a cool historical connection to the tree. During the American Revolution logs from Palm trees were used to build the fortifications on Sullivan’s Island. The British Navy’s cannon fire was ineffective as the Palm tree logs proved to absorb the blasts from the artillery. The battle was a major victory for the Americans. This is not the only time in American history when a specific tree species played a role in a significant battle. During the War of 1812 the American Navy won a decisive battle at Plattsburg Bay. The British ships were made of Oak and blew to splinters when hit while American ships were made with Black Locust and held fast. According to the Forestry Association of South Carolina forest products generate $21 billion annually for the state! I also appreciate that this organization promotes sustainability in their mission statement. I really enjoyed my visit to the forests of South Carolina!