This weekend, we took J to Biltmore. We were hoping the gardens would be more fully developed (i.e., more in bloom), but the frigid spell in April literally nipped everything in the bud.
While out in the garden, though, we saw a most unusually tree.
J had never seen anything like it, and I, not knowing a single thing about trees, was at even more of a loss.
Anyone have any idea what’s going on here?
I’m pretty sure what you’re looking at there is cypress knees. They’re more common in swamps (there’s an excellent swamp in Charleston, SC with many cypress and some very large knees) although I don’t think science has quite figured out why the roots grow this way, although the reigning theory seems to be that the knees help get more oxygen to the roots in low oxygen environments (like swamp water).
I’m guessing it’s at the Biltmore more as a transplant than a native.
Darn my subject/verb agreement.
Subject/verb agreement are overrated. Thanks for the info, though. Still, I thought those “cypress knees” (never knew what they were called) were looping portions of the root that makes something like an arch. These were just knobby things sticking out of the ground. Guess I had a romanticized view.