Mutant Tree in Holly Park Baffles Bernal Neighbor

/ Todd_Lappin

strangetree2e-1

Neighbor Heather is fascinated by a strange little tree in Holly Park that has sprouted a very tall appendage. She says:

I’ve been watching tree in Holly Park for a month or two now. I think it deserves a profile.

The tree has sprouted one “reach for the sky DeVry!” branch that is easily twice the height of the tree. With a little tuffet of 6 or 7 leaves on the end. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. (Well, OK, this is San Francisco and I go to Folsom St Fair every year, so not REALLY… But certainly the weirdest thing in Holly Park.)

Bizarre! Can any of our armchair arborists explain this strange mutation? Here’s the view from a different angle:

strangetree1

PHOTOS: Neighbor Heather

5 thoughts on “Mutant Tree in Holly Park Baffles Bernal Neighbor”

  3. Ahh, I see our neighborhood has been infected by the invasive Fraxinus Polevaulticus, a tree bred by ancient greeks in order to create the perfect pole for vaulting. Before carbon fiber and fiberglass, ancient athletes resorted to using long straight tree branches for vaulting. This breed of ash was perfected after generations of selective breeding by countless Greek arborists. Among the more famous of these were Socrates and his student Plato; Plato’s student Aristotle also took up the slow task. One little known fact is that these esteemed philosophers actually dedicated their lives to perfecting a pole for vaulting, their philosophical work emerged from the many discussions the men had while they passed time watching the tree branches grow.

    The most desirable pole was one that is long, straight, and free of splinters (those Greeks competed in the nude, you know). The tree eventually made it to Venice where gondoliers used the branches to propel their boats around canals. It seems like it’s finally reached our beloved Bernal Hill.

Comments are closed.