What is the most beautiful tree in the world, you may ask? The palmetto, also known as the sabal palm. You may think this is just my opinion just because I am from South Carolina, a state replete with them even displaying one proudly on the state flag. But that is not the case: I looked it up online, and it appears to be a fact. Everyone on earth who has seen one understands that this tree is the most beautiful of them all, otherwise they are subject to psychiatric evaluation and many of those who fail said test become geocachers! ;-)
Interesting palmetto facts:
1. It is actually part of the grass family and absorbs most of its water through the trunk, not its meager root system.
2. It is a great tree to plant close to a foundation, pool, or sidewalk because the root system is so small: it will not disrupt the concrete like most other trees will.
3. You can actually cut off the entire root ball, and the tree will still survive replanting just fine.
4. Fort Sumter survived the Civil War bombing because the fort was made of palmetto trees which are flexible and absorb force well. They absorbed the blast force rather than sending shockwaves throughout the structure, and allowed the fort to function as designed!
All hail the palmetto!