What is this thing? I've seen these trees all over this area and as far north as denver. What I do know is they grow ridiculously fast and are extremely invasive. They also have a very pungent stink when you rub against the trunk or leaves. Hence the name, skunk tree. This one grew to about 15ft tall in 2 years. I knocked it down though -- I got me a new tree and the perfect spot for it was where this skunk tree was standing.I don't think el paso is usually thought of as a place to grow citrus trees. It's not common, but I do see it every once in a while. Just down the street from me is an orange tree tucked in between two houses. I'm trying a similar strategy. This one is a mexican lime tree and I'm super excited to put it to good use. Time to make some guacamole.. Mmm.
6 comments:
That's an ailanthus tree, horrible stuff! They spread like crazy and ssem to grow out of solid concrete. I know one that's been growing in a more or less dark basement for almost 5 years now (reaches up to the ceiling and no one cares). They're native to China and were first exported to Europe (and maybe the US) in the 19th century. Ever since about WWII they have been running amok in most European cities and now slowly spread out into the countryside. In the US they seem to become more and more common too.
Yes that's it, that's the tree! Wow, after reading up about them they sound every bit as bad as I thought they were. Well, I guess you could say that about most invasive species. In their natural habitat I'm sure they're awesome.. :)
They still stink there I guess ;-)
When I was a kid my dad would go out into the back yard every few weeks in summer and dig out dozens of little Ailanthus trees all over the lawn. When I was even smaller we had a 20-foot-beast growing out of a crack between our foundations and the sidewalk. Eventually my dad killed it by cutting it down and removing every single new leaf for more than a year. I've only ever seen one that died and it grew in a completely dark basement (the one that reaches up to the ceiling does have _some_ natural light, this one grew in complete darkness and was all yellow). It still got 4-5 feet tall being completely ghostly yellow.
Yikes, they can be a handful. Unfortunately the one I pulled was the small one. There's a bigger one in my backyard I need to knock down this year. Not looking forward to it..
It's telling that my first thought for the Mexican limes was a margarita....but guac is good too :) Lime is a fun choice.
Hehe, an honorary margarita will be in your future if you ever find yourself in west texas.. :)
Post a Comment