Ceiba, the resilient "tree of life", grows again after hurricane damages

March 12, 2019 10:56 AM

If you believe that Ceiba trees (Wikipedia) to be trees of life that connect the upper, middle and underworlds (Mayans and Tikal), or are just big, beautiful members of the ecological communities, seeing one so damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria as the one (Amherst Bulletin) on Vieques, Puerto Rico (Wiki) can be depressing. Good news! This island's most famous tree is once again growing new leaves, offering hope in its resilience (HuffPo via Atlas Obscura). Bonus link: Maya-Archaeology.org's overview of Sacred ceiba tree of life, the world tree of Maya religion and cosmology.
posted by filthy light thief (5 comments total)

Those big conical thorns on the trunk are something else! Be interesting to know what drove their evolution-- some extinct megafauna, maybe?

They're really beautiful. I'd worship them too, given the opportunity.

The buttress roots are hard to believe even when you see them. But as usual, 'buttress' is probably a bit of a misnomer, since the roots look like they're under tension rather than compression.
posted by jamjam at 12:15 PM on March 12, 2019

This is the news we need. Thank you.
posted by allthinky at 1:32 PM on March 12, 2019

This is a lovely post, and enriching.

I think often of that passage from My Antonía: "Trees were so rare in that country, and they had to make such a hard fight to grow, that we used to feel anxious about them, and visit them as if they were persons."
posted by Caxton1476 at 4:53 PM on March 12, 2019

Tree of life!!
We're rooting for you.
posted by BlueHorse at 6:04 PM on March 12, 2019

Ceiba pentandra used to be the commercial source of furniture stuffing before modern foam. You can still buy "tree cotton" by the kilo in small town Malaysia for making pillows and whatnot. When the cotton balls are still hanging on the tree it can make a pretty dramatic display, like this one (twitter) .
posted by BinGregory at 11:15 PM on March 12, 2019 [3 favorites]