strange plants of socotra island

7/27/2019 Strange Plants of Socotra Island

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Strange plants of Socotra Island

It is like being on a different planet... These pictures and information areexcellent viewing and reading. Socotra Island: You have to see it tobelieve it. This island simply blows away any notion about what isconsidered "normal" for a landscape on Earth .

Imagine waking up on the Socotra Island < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socotra>

and taking a good look around you. After a yelp of disbelief, you'd be inclined tothink you were transported to another planet - or traveled to another era of Earth's

history.The second would be closer to the truth for this island, which is part ofa group of four islands, has been geographically isolated from mainlandAfrica for the last 6 or 7 million years. Like the Galapagos Islands, this islandis teeming with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 ofwhich are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth.
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The climate is harsh, hot, and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant lifethrives there. Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and 340 km

from Yemen, the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone plateaus full of caves(some 7 km in length) and mountains up to 1,525 metres high.


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The name Socotra is derived from a Sanskrit name, meaning "The Island of

Bliss"... Is it the beaches? The isolation and quiet? Or the strange and crazybotanical allure? Alien-looking plants: H.P. Lovecraft's secret inspiration?

Was the famous Chtulhu myths creator aware of these forbidding mountainswith their hauntingly weird flora (think of plant mutations from his "TheColour Out of Space")? Were almost tempted to call Socotra the other"Mountains of Madness" - the trees and plants of this island were preservedthrough the long geological isolation, some varieties being 20 million yearsold... We begin with the dracena cinnibaris or Dragon's Blood Tree, thesource of valuable resin for varnishes, dyes, and "cure-all" medicine; also(predictably) used in medieval ritual magic and alchemy.


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The branches spread out into the sky and from below appear to hover overthe landscape like so many flying saucers... and from above, they have adistinct mushroom look:


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There is also the Desert Rose (adenium obesium) which looks like nothing somuch as a blooming elephant leg:


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Dorstenia gigas - apparently does not require any soil and sinks roots straight

into the bare rock:


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It also has a distinct personality and likes to smile for the camera:


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Somewhat similar to the weird Dorstenia gigas is this "bucha" vegetablefound as far north as Croatia . I hope it's not pregnant with anythingmalignant inside this sack. John Wyndham ("The Day of the Triffids") wouldhave loved it:


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Also found in Socotra's landscape is the ever-strange and extremely rareCucumber Tree (dendrosicyos socotranum) - and yes, it's related to what'ssitting in a pickle jar in your fridge:


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Getting around can be a challenge, as there are almost no roads. Despite thefact that this island has around 40,000 inhabitants, the Yemeni governmentput in the first roads just 2 years ago - after negotiations with UNESCO, whichhas declared this island a World Natural Heritage Site. I would prefer a camelride to what is bound to be a bumpy and slow 4x4 ride... It is a quiet andpeaceful enclave in an otherwise troubled world. If you decide to visit there,you can forget about beachfront hotels and restaurants; this island is gearedtowards eco-tourism and sustaining the local economy and way of life.


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This island is a birder's paradise as well, with 140 different species of birds,10 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. A unique Socotrawarbler, sunbird, starling, bunting, sparrow, and cisticola are among the ones

found here. There are also Socotra Cormorants:


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Want to see some fairy-tale (and possibly haunted) shipwrecks? There arediving tours available... Hopefully some IMAX crew will film it in all its gloryone day.

To give you a glimpse of Socotra's and Yemen's in general totally uniquearchitecture, check out this place located on the mainland: Al Hajarah,

Yemen - Walled city in the mist


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Socotra is one of those "lost world" islands (separated from the world sixmillion years ago) where intrepid travellers - particularly those seeking exoticnature and wildlife in a remote tropical setting - can go days on end without

rubbing shoulders with that less-than-endangered species: tourists. Knownfor decades as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, it's the world's tenthrichest island for endemic plant species. And it's the biggest island in theMiddle East125 km in length and 45 km across. Meanwhile, the landscapeis one of contrasts; for example, it has isolated nature preserves withdazzling wildlife, including 900 species of plants, the famous Dragon's Blood

Tree "dracaena cinnabara," some of the rarest birds that exist nowhere elsein the world, and picturesque sandy beaches.

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strange plants of socotra island

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