What On Earth is a Boojum Tree?

thanks to Marco Meraz for his wonderful photos of Fouquieria purpusii!
Fouquieria columnaris - otherwise known as the Boojum Tree or Cirio - are bizarre plants that are related to Ocotillo and more distantly related to blueberries (Order Ericales). In the deserts of Baja California these strange trees look like dancing totem poles. In this episode we examine this species (pronounced Foo - Keer - Eeya column-nahr-iss) and how they (and all Ocotillo species) produce their spines, how first-year growth differs from second-year growth and whAt their strategy is for avoiding the summer heAt and dry season. A long the way we also see some massive individuals of Dudleya pulverulenta.
cliff notes : first year leaves on a segment of new stem produce petioles which later turn into spines. every subsequent year's leaves on that same shoot will only produce fascicled, sessile leaves, without a petiole.
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Thanks, GFY.

[@saraa3418]

The way you say scientific plant names like you're making an order at the deli, "Yeah give me a half pound of the boojum and a pound o' dudleya and don't forget the the ericales." Love it

[@-beee-]

So well-described 💯

[@OctopusOwl]

Boojum looks like if someone programmed an autogenerated tree, but forgot to make branches and accidentally put the leaves on the trunks instead.

[@redlight3932]

You've discovered evolution

[@bok..]

Your mum looks like if someone was trying to program a mum but forgot to not make her fat.

[@bauhnguefyische667]

Its AI😂

[@SaynaTheSpiffy]

I've said almost the same thing about Fouquieria splendens (ocotillo).

[@vancouverlex]

I don’t understand half of this but damn it makes me happy

[@Heavilymoderated]

I was just thinking how interesting I find liverworts when you said no one is into them. I think I’ll start studying up on them more.

[@grannyplants1764]

I love liverworts and lichen, they’re fascinating 🌱 started years ago when I was shown a pretty lichen called “British Soldier” growing in a clump on top of my friend’s wooden mailbox…

[@thejoeben]

I will join you brother

[@kevinnistor1954]

​@@thejoebenliverwort gang

[@2m7b5]

non-vascular plants are rad

[@Heavilymoderated]

@@2m7b5 I know, right!

[@doctormidnight]

Boojum sounds like a really bad insult. "Your mom's pot roast is boojum" or "I'll show your sister a boojum she won't forget."

[@chrisrus1965]

It says it was from Louis Carrol, I donno.

[@doctormidnight]

@@chrisrus1965 sounds like some boojum to me.

[@bernardfinucane2061]

@@chrisrus1965 In the midst of the word he was trying to say, In the midst of his laughter and glee, He had softly and suddenly vanished away- For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.

[@pleegjepleegje]

Boojum is a Dutch Zealandic (the original Zealand, not the New one🙃) word for ground or soil

[@ATB205]

@@pleegjepleegje you're talking complete boojum my friend

[@hiddenvoice27]

Those liverworts in sporophyte stage really look like little mushrooms, amazed me just as much as the boojum and giant agaves.

[@alice215]

thank you so much for making this program, one of the best things on the internet. def top 3 on youtube for me

[@shelleysilva7666]

Thanks for another great video. I spend part of each year on the Baja peninsula and love me some boojums. Your comments about pollinators got me curious, so I started poking around. Mark Dimmit says they're pollinated by a variety of insects, with this interesting caveat: "Steven Buchmann and colleagues at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center completed a detailed pollination study of this species and reported a fascinating story. While this plant is indeed pollinated by a large number of insects, in each of the 20 years of study, there was a very different array of species collected in the same boojum populations in Baja California and Sonora. Many species were not seen again for several years. These pollinators may be another example of temporal niche separation (see the section on drought evasion in the Plant Ecology chapter). The boojums flower every year, but different insect pollinators emerge in different years in response to as yet unknown environmental cues."

[@dianahowell3423]

"The snark was a boojum, you see." Great poem, amazing plant!

[@geomundi8333]

those liverworts look like something out of alien sci fi biology book. awesome.

[@wadestanton]

check slime mold fruiting bodies

[@AK-tl3xv]

Videos like these bring hope to me, plant people w respect for nature in its true forms is refreshing.

[@weaponsfreak13]

I have always thought Boojum trees looked so alien. In a way it reminds me of plants and such on the island of Socotra. I grew up in Southeastern Arizona and I have always loved and appreciated the cacti and all the crazy plants in the Southwestern U.S. and further south.

[@DanielLLevy]

Does Socotra have the Didieraceae family like Madagascar? I bet it does! This is the first thing that came to my mind while watching this Fouquieria footage!

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Surreal, scI-fi landscape. Love it!

[@patcaribou]

Magnificent cactus garden...Roadtrip through Baja is high on the bucketlist. If I ever get the courage to drive my car into Mexico.

[@JennyBesserit]

Wow that's actually really impressive 😮 not used to seeing succulent plants get that big

[@prbmax]

Your channel keeps getting better and better. So glad the algorithm recommended it to me.

[@user-vk7cp1op9p]

What are those tiny green balloons on strings, at the end of the podcast? Desert liverwort? They rise off of a leaf that rooted? I love these plants! So bizarre! Compared to midwest deciduous forests and white pine stands higher up, these are "science fiction" landscapes of horror, that please a sense of creativity and fantasy, with miniatures hiding eye level to the Borrowers, or miniature mice. What great works of art must leap into being here,.... in such places. Of course, the host of "words" finds his loved place here among these rarities! Well chosen! I have never seen such as these!

[@russmcgillivray5213]

Alternate botanical universe Sebastian Maniscalco and I love it. Another great video

[@Grateful.For.Everything]

👏👏👏👏👏 Dat (2160p)👌🏼Really Nice!!!! Lotta cool stuff out there.

[@anotherdactyl]

i would expect more snark with a boojum discussion.

[@dianahowell3423]

Ah, my beamish nephew!

[@sagebrushrepair]

That shot underneath the plant was fantastic, glad you found eye-level new growth, Ericales was absolutely unexpected, and that lichen would make a great shower tile pattern lol. With a healthy amount of respect for any wild population, would you ever dare camp underneath one for fear losing a.... everything? They don't seem to drop many stems? (Aesculus in Baja being closer to asian species is wild and really worth thinking about. I absolutely am head over heels in love with Aesculus californica, it's habit, inflorescences, and those gorgeous leaf buds in the spring...😍)

[@chrisrus1965]

Reminds me of Dr. Seuss.

[@larryl4881]

1:16 is one of my favorite cacti love the red pink flower ones.

[@katiekane5247]

Some cool stuff, the Liverwort was spectacular. Thanks for sharing

[@crappo8459]

Thanks for sharing and the knowledge 👍

[@oblonghas]

your camera zoom is great

[@Arcus8]

I REALLY liked the way you presented this one, with the question. "Where do the spines come from?". I really think you should do more videos in this style. Go into it with a question. Gather evidence about the plant by directly observing it while also explaining other background knowledge. Then by the end of the video you can put together a pretty complete picture, which leads you to be able to answer the question. I mean as always I love all the side plants and extra info and rambling. But the mission of answering a question (even if you personally already know the answer) was extra compelling for this video and also extremely educational. If your goal is to educate, definitely do this type of thing more often!

[@dieseljunkie9951]

Thank you. 🙏 😂 I always enjoy you videos. 💯

[@manuelhernandez2017]

Those wide shots into super zoom are awesome

[@josephsimpson4295]

Quite a strange fractal landscape. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@parkpatt]

always good for a smile and some botanical jargon

[@erinstein3186]

Thank you for capturing and sharing this perfect appreciation/energy for plants and the natural world. You're my hero, keep spreading the good news!!

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I'm pretty sure I saw trees in that family when I lived in Costa Rica. If you haven't been there you should definitely go and visit the Osa Península especially. It's got 5% of the biodiversity on land in the whole world, and it's just a small peninsula. But it's covered in life. Bring bug repellent.

[@glidingpig]

There is a couple of the boojum trees in the California Botanical Garden in southern California. One of them is about 4 feet from a simi hidden trail.

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

They do fine in pots in the bay area. For three years all outdoors. Very much like Pachypodiums of the old world/Madagascar.

[@privacy-and-electricity]

Those agave look really healthy to be honest

[@PeterC-up9ue]

I do like the lichen on the old Cedar tree, even after scraping it off my outdoor seat.

[@OUSurf2]

Very nice thanks for the views!! I Love deserts. ❤

[@willhartnett5470]

Hey Liverworts… there’s one ~50+yo at Ott’s plants down in Shwanksville,PA

[@ericpierce3660]

Your videos are both hilarious and informative.

[@kso808]

Such a fascinating look at plants and fungi! You rock! 👍

[@junkettarp8942]

Wow Tony...You guys are putting out the Videos....Great.

[@d.d.d.a.a.a.n.n.n]

I love liverworts and it makes me sad that so many people hate them

[@-beee-]

They seem so cool! I wish we could’ve seen what it’s like when it’s drier.

[@d.d.d.a.a.a.n.n.n]

@@-beee-They are really cool, and I often find them in ditches beside city roads, since people generally leave them alone there and they have plenty of water

[@ocerams1826]

love your passion for it

[@onelove8062]

Many atolés and birrias to you my fren

[@roguebotanist]

Outstanding Botanical descriptions. You have really come into your own

[@TreeCutterDoug]

What a fantastic stroll through the desert! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

[@philesco2705]

Another banger.

[@grannyplants1764]

The coolest thing in this video is showing how the petioles turn into spines…now I have to think about cacti or quince or hawthorn…wait but then there are thorns, prickles, spines oh my into the sharp dungeon we go 🤔

[@peopleeps4756]

THOSE LIVERWORTS 💖

[@yeeeeyee]

Beautiful landscape

[@vancouverlex]

Thanks!

[@Disasterina]

Those Boojum are fantastic! Can u grow them in SoCal?

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Absolutely

[@PunkRockPetSitter]

Such a dope tree!

[@Tminus89]

4k🎉🎉🎉 praise you sir, helps a lot with discerning stuff in wide shots

[@thylacoleonkennedy7]

9:36 I remember learning about the life cycle of bryophytes in my undergrad and I actually find them a really fascinating group!

[@user-zd6nw9fr4j]

아름다운 곳 감사합니다 🎉감사합니다 ^^

[@MechakittenX]

I love this channel so fuckin much.

[@JennyBesserit]

Petioles as spines?! That's hekkin cool

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Lots of the squat and globose African Euphorbia species use peduncles as spines, too

[@Jimsimi]

I'm into the bryophytes they look cool as hell. Another banger cheers Tony.

[@frankmacleod2565]

your videos all rock

[@leivixiong9893]

New favorite tree, new favorite monocot flower. Lycophyte, pteridophyte, & bryophyte enjoyer here at heart. How do I do what you do Joey!? I’m already in school, first year.

[@patrickmaline4258]

beautiful tiny flowers. love me some tiny flowers. ☮️ ❤🌎

[@charleslittle458]

Love you shit!!!! Truly!

[@elliswrong]

They've got a few of these at the phoenix botanical garden. They're fucked up. I love them.

[@jacksonwyse7524]

i love liverworts they are the most funny plant

[@fuxan]

Boojum is the name of my favorite brewery in West North Carolina.

[@grannyplants1764]

Great name for a scruffy dog 🐕

[@jaydenhardingArtist]

that landscape is nuts. its like an alien planet

[@mooonie6634]

Before I forget again- if this information is special in your life, check and see if there is a Master Naturalist program associated with your university system. If you have a Master Gardener program you may have the Naturalist one as well. Get involved with your state DNR program even if it means counting frog calls in the springs, it all helps.

[@mooonie6634]

the Naturalist one is nothing like the Master Gardener program, in that one they sit your butt down for a couple of years and give you an education in it....that's how MN rolls, your state may be different.

[@glenmorrison8080]

9:57 Since the genus change I've been referring to them as "blue dips", lol. Also, it's in Themidaceae currently under Jepson at least.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

yeah I miss Themidaceae since I bregrudgingly abandoned it and went with APG's tanlged mess of a phylogeny. TBH their lumping really pissed me off.

[@rickc2102]

takin' a lichen to mutual habitation

[@vectorwolf]

Boojums grow here but it's a bit fussy for them. Ocotillos do well though, I have one in the backyard that's more than 30 years old and probably 18 feet high.

[@arnoldmmbb]

They look very weird like they belong in Socotra island

[@JennHawk]

Looks like it's from a Dr. Seuss book!

[@ulalaFrugilega]

It's from "The Hunting of the Snark". You may hunt the Snark for all the right reasons, but... your Snark turns out to be a Boojum, you will swiftly and silently vanish away, never to be heard of again.

[@TheStumped19]

That looks amazing. Are you ever worried about snakes out there?

[@kbearl]

Hummer pollinated.. thats nice

[@SpecialSoldier109]

im waiting on getting an ocotillo for my yard and i would also like a boojum tree, my wife is from baja cali

[@therealdesidaru]

I love that you give all the scientific names. Can you stop every once in awhile and tell us why and what they mean. 😊

[@yaddahaysmarmalite4059]

Boojum!

[@dogcalledholden]

Ah, watch out for the Snark then (Think Lewis Carroll)...

[@johntowner1893]

It might be not only the petiole but the central leaf vein that remains behind to form the spine.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

It's just the petiole. Leaves drop off, vein and all. It's only the first year leaves on a segment of shoot that will have petioles. Subsequent years leaves are sessile and fascicled.

[@Neenerella333]

Always bring a pair of pliers for cactus spines in doggo feets

[@maxkaibarreto]

So are you a bajillionair yet or what. This shit is gold

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Yeah, cos teaching botany is a real money spinner. 😂

[@ub-4630]

Remember, kids: crime pays but botany doesn't.

[@fransmars1645]

😅. Keep trucking, mate.

[@SageofCancer]

I too am succulent stemmed and covered in spines and leaves; he just like me fr fr

[@gomerzpyle6805]

It's a distant relative of the persimmon, Brazil nut and blueberry to put it in edible terms.

[@lashadi1445]

Bryrophyte love... 🥰

[@Joey-vw1id]

It's funny that the crown of thorns is not in the same family as the ocotillo because both plants share the same trate of shedding their leaves.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Convergent Evolution is a beast

[@arkt1k330]

i get uncomfortable every time you stand close-ish to a cholla. I have many memories of using duck tape to get out all those tiny fiberglass-like needles that make up the spines.

[@Joey-vw1id]

What's up with this Joey? I've noticed you been making much shorter videos lately (at least the last few) But yeah, What gives man? I absolutely like watching your videos especially the linger ones. I hope you are not changing the way you upload and keep creating those very educational longer videos. Great video Joey! You know I'm busting your balls! 😂

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Plenty coming down the pipe don't worry

[@katiea545]

I love Liverworts…

[@starkbird9524]

Joey would you happen to know how Peonia got to Western North America?

[@vonsandwich]

Every nerd should have an Italian with a thick Chicago accent teach them about their interests.

[@veteranscannabisadvocacygr5401]

✨🌎FREE THE PLANTS 🌱 FREE THE PLANET 🌍 FREE ALL PEOPLES 🕊

[@petrosthegoober]

Now why can I have a little slice of this in my yard instead of a stinkin' lawn

[@charleslittle458]

What freaking resource are you using?

[@WistyFish]

What a weird guy. Never seen that before

[@bsloannyc]

Where's Al?

[@shippo36able]

What if you had a 80's style montage opening with some really cheesy Casio synth techno. Just sayin' foo'.