Sunday, March 29, 2009

Camperdown Elm Tree



(coffee, internet, sleeping boy... check check check)

There was a sign in front of this freaky tree in Port Gamble which read:
State Champion Camperdown Elm
It was in 1640 that the "Earl of Camperdown" in Dundee Scotland noticed a branch growing on the floor of his elm forest. He grafted it to a Scotch Elm tree and it took hold producing the first Camperdown Elm. The Scotch Elm is the only root mass the Camperdown Elm will grow on. The tree is a mutant and cannot self produce. Every Camperdown Elm tree in the world is part of the original and they must be grafted to a Scotch Elm to get started. When the graft starts to grow, the Scotch Elm branches are cut off, leaving only Camperdown Elm. This magnificent tree depends on humankind to keep it alive as a species.
This Camperdown Elm is the new state champion. This tree was planted in 1875. It measures 20 ft. in height with a 26 ft. crown and a 7 ft. circumference.


Proof: Humans love a freakshow.

2 comments:

{raisingAlexis} said...

I love trivia like this! thanks for posting, I have never heard of this elm tree.

Minda said...

that is so interesting. And yes, we humans love our campy (or camperdown) freak shows.