Outside my office window sits a Melaleuca Quinquenervia. A what? A Melaleuca Quinquenervia is a type of tree native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and the east coast of Australia, starting in Sydney and heading north. Apparently they are also in Florida (not native, of course).
I have to be honest, having the tree outside the window gave me high hopes that an exotic bird or other Australian wildlife would land on it, or nest in it, but that has yet to happen. I do have to thank the tree for protecting me from the intense Australian sun and preventing my transition lenses from turning to sun glasses while at my desk (which has happened).
But while the tree has not lived up to all my hopes and expectations, once I got down to street level, it was revealed that this was no ordinary tree. Something I have never seen before. The Melaleuca Quinquenervia can best be described as a paper bark tree. The bark appears like different thicknesses and shades of paper wrapped and then torn in various places to reveal its layers. Sometimes the tears are sloppy and droopy while at other moments the natural decay produces a beautiful effect. Pieces of the bark lay scattered on the pavement below.
It is really quite amazing. Now I just need to figure out the pronunciation…
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