Christmas Trees

When you've lived here long enough and started off buying "real" trees which were shipped in on containers and often sprayed with both green paint and scent - and when those dead and dying trees quickly disintegrate and you toss them out ... then you either start doing artificial trees or find a local Christmas tree in the form of the big agave sprout which comes up and blooms every ten years or so (the "century plant").

I love the smell of an artificial plastic tree!!!!

Yes, this is sarcasm....

Aren't the Century/Agave plants on a protected/endangered list these days?

I think a little wreath (real pine) and a Norfolk Pine in a planter you can decorate for a couple of years and then plant in ground work quite well. Or bring in another type of bush and put lights and ornaments on it.
Whatever works and floats your boat. There's always pine air freshener!;)

The Christmas trees that are imported by the Cuzzin's folks and sold by O'Henry's are fresher than most trees I got when I lived in Big America (unless I went to a Christmas tree farm). They are cut and loaded on refrigerated containers and kept refrigerated until you buy. Unfortunately, they start the first week of December and sell out in several days.

Not that this helps anyone on St Croix, LOL, but just to refute OT's broad statement... 😉

Aren't the Century/Agave plants on a protected/endangered list these days?/quote]

Apparently proposed but not yet on the list.

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/10/22/2013-22742/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-endangered-status-for-agave-eggersiana-and-gonocalyx

The one which I had took years to find and was already broken and down on the ground ...

 

St. Croix Agave (Agave eggersiana) is endangered. It's only on St. Croix though.

ETA: Ah, that's one of the ones OT posted, that is officially in "proposed" status. Interesting, I've heard for some time that it was officially endangered. Sounds like no follow through yet.

Just don't want any one going out and cutting ones still blooming after it takes 100 yrs.and they are proposed to be endangered/Protectected. They seem to be few and far between, espcially after people decide it's a good might be a good Christmas tree.

Hey, any nice taller plant in your yard in a pot can easily be brought in to have lights and ornaments.
Just don't leave the lights on 24/7.
Not only may you hurt the plant but WAPA will get ya!

Just don't want any one going out and cutting ones still blooming after it takes 100 yrs.and they are proposed to be endangered/Protectected. They seem to be few and far between, espcially after people decide it's a good might be a good Christmas tree.

FYI, a common fallacy about that 100 years. They actually bloom only once in their lifetime, between 10 and 20 years. The stalk withers and dies when the blooming's all done and that's when they've traditionally been used as the Caribbean christmas tree - i.e. when they're already dead.

Good Ting as Brownie would say.
We really do not need people chopping them down n their youth!

No, there are no Christmas trees left on STX. All gone.

Good Ting as Brownie would say.
We really do not need people chopping them down n their youth!

The formation and growing of the flower stalk is amazingly fast (I wasn't aware either until I saw it first hand) and although the plant dies when the blooming is done at the end of its lifespan, the roots of the plant put out next generation "suckers" from its roots. The reason the three particular species indigenous to the Caribbean have been proposed to be included on the endangered list is due to their depletion through land-clearing, not because people have put the dead stalk to use as a "Christmas tree".

I thought there was some sort of blight several years ago that destroyed the agaves, at least here on the east end of St Thomas?

I thought there was some sort of blight several years ago that destroyed the agaves, at least here on the east end of St Thomas?

Didn't hear about that. In fact the sprout I finally grabbed was right across the street from me on the East end 3-4 years ago, shot up quickly and then one night got top heavy, snapped and keeled over. The VIPD quickly moved it off the road onto the side and, in the next few hours, I saw several drivers slowing down to take a look at it so enlisted the help of a friend to nab it before somebody else did, dried it out, painted it and enjoyed it! Unfortunately when I moved from that location I had so much stuff to get rid of and let it go - which I now very much regret as they're SO hard to find.

But I never heard anything about any sort of blight affecting them and, as mentioned, the reason for the particular species being considered for inclusion on the endangered species list has to do with land-clearing depleting them.

I believe as any other cactus type plant, as we go through dry season they stop sending water out to the branches and things growing out to support the root system, similar to trees dropping leaves during the drought.
Our 'traditional' Christmas tree, before the importing of pine trees, was the inkberry tree, not the century plant. That was thought up by newcomers.

I believe as any other cactus type plant, as we go through dry season they stop sending water out to the branches and things growing out to support the root system, similar to trees dropping leaves during the drought.
Our 'traditional' Christmas tree, before the importing of pine trees, was the inkberry tree, not the century plant. That was thought up by newcomers.

Are the inkberry trees still to be found, Ronnie? You'll find this link charming:

http://webpac.uvi.edu/imls/pi_uvi/inkberry_tree_xmas.pdf

I wonder how long ago it was that "newcomers" thought up the century plant as a Christmas tree and was that because finding the inkberries became the challenge that finding the century plants has become in the last couple of decades? I only ask because the very first one I got was bequeathed to me when old friends left island after 30+ years and they'd had theirs since the 1960s. Always curious!

No live trees available. That's what I get for waiting until the last minute. Christmas has snuck up on me this year. Ended up going to Kmart and buying a fake one half off. Was really trying to avoid buying a fake one as I have limited storage space. But oh well.
Happy Holidays to all!

the fake ones just dont smell as nice as live trees or cut trees