My Adopted Plant

    The plant I have decided to adopt in my senior year of EAB is perhaps one of the oldest trees in school. The buildings have changed and an auditorium has been added, but this tree continues there. It is the first thing one sees when crosses the front gate and it is also responsible for providing a pleasant shade when one wants to sit outside of the classroom. Its common and scientific name are still unknown.
    What makes this tree so special is its trunk; it is very rough and contains cracks troughout. Other than this, it is covered by lichens. The lichens, which are made of algae and fungus is responsible for exchanging gases and other resources with the tree, thus having a mutualist relationship. Mutualism is a type of symbiosis where two organisms benefit from each other. Another interesting aspect about this tree is that since it is located next to another tree, it's branches are pointing toward places other than the branches of its neighboring tree. This occurs in order for the tree to have most of it's leaves exposed to the sun, and this essential for the process of photosynthesis.
   The roots are not visible but since the level of the ground around it is bumpy, the roots are probably thicks, fibrous and long. This is a common characteristic for plants in this region of Brazil, the cerrado, which is characterized by a dry climate and little precipitation. The leaves are smooth, thin, green and the veins are parallel indicating this is a monocotyledonous angiosperm.
    In the next nine months there won't be much change in growth or in the number of branches. It is probable though that seed dispersal will be visible and the tree will lose part of its leaves. This plant is not in its natural habitat, for it is located in the middle of a school with plants very close to it, something that is not very common in the cerrado where the trees are scarce and separated.