Trip to England & Egypt

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

I just got back from a trip to England (short) and Egypt (long). There were lots of palms and other tropicals in both countries. I took a few pics, and I'll try to get them uploaded over the next couple of days

[BILL MA]

That sounds awesome Cameron.
I can't wait to see the pictures and here about some of your adventurers.

Bill

[DesertZone]

Awesome, post some pics asap!

[sidpook]

Excellent.....Amazing palms in UK...Gotta love that!

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Egypt first:

I apologize in advance to those with a bad internet connection! It will take awhile to load all of the pics

MEMPHIS:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0257.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
A smaller Sphinx with some nice date palms

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0307.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The huge statue inside

CAIRO / GIZA: (Sunny with 50 C that day)

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0741.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Pyramids

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0755.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
A bit closer

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0824.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
The haze in the background is the city. A lot of people don't realize that the pyramids are 2 kms or so away from the hustle and bustle of Giza, and not out in the middle of nowhere!

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

From Cairo we headed south to Aswan to catch a cruise ship back up the Nile, to Luxor. Before leaving Aswan, we took a felucca (sailboat) over to the Aswan Botanical Gardens, which are located on an island in the middle of the Nile. I know I'll probably get some of the scientific names wrong, so I'll try to edit this post over time The pics arent the greatest, since they were taken with a BB.

Aswan:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0408.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Arriving at the island

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0410.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0410.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0413.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

A bunch of plants:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0415.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Royal palm?

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0419.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Attalea saccharifera? (huge!!)

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0419.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0422.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Hyphaene thebaica

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0423.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Phoenix reclinata

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0428.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Really tall Washie

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

More pics:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0430.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
This Loquat must have been atleast 15 feet tall

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0431.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Cycas cricnalis?

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0431.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Sabal blackburniana

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0433.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Tall Washie

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0434.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
A tall Phoenix dactylifera. I must have seen litterally over 100 000 of these throughout the trip

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

More:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0434.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Rhapis?

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0438.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Cycas revoluta

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0440.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Kapok (ceiba) tree

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0440.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Roystonia regia

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0441.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Row of Roystonia

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Almost done:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0442.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
View looking towards Aswan

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0447.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Psidium guavaja with developing fruit

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0449.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
A tall Cocos nucifera (coconut). They had some other ones tagged as "Cocos capitata", so I think they must be some type of Syagrus

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0452.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Cycas sp.

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0454.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Tall Sabal palmetto

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0457.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
TC Lab

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0457.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
End of the island

[sidpook]

Excellent. IS that aMAdagascar dragon tree in the last pic? I was in the Peace Corps in Comoros ISlands and saw loads of those and Baobab trees all over the place too..Thanks for sharing.

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Nearly there

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 7-1047.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I brought back a couple of seeds from these Phoenix in Luxor

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 7-1048.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Phoenix with fruit

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 7-0143.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
These carvings are over 3000 years old and look brand new!

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 8-0011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Sunrise over the Nile with some hot air balloons in the distance

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0613.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Our cruise ship

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 8-0358.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Hatshepsut's Temple

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 0-0350.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I also pocketed a few Phoenix seeds from our hotel in Sharm el Sheikh

One thing that really surprised me was that in cities, Washingtonia were actually more common than Phoenix! It must be some kind of issue with the amount of space Phoenix take up I would highly recommend Egypt as a whole, as well as the travel company, Aton Travel.

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

Sidpook, I think it's just a ficus that they trimmed in a weird way. I wish they had a dragon tree though!

[DesertZone]

Well worth the wait. Thanks for all the eye candy. Love the nile palms, the two headed ones or branched ones are

[Knnn]

Think the branched ones, (photo #13, and elsewhere), are Hyphaene thebaica

Great photos! Thanks for sharing, love to see all those Phoenix's at home


Steve

[BILL MA]

That was very impressive! You must have had one heck of a time seeing everything you did. Thanks for the tour I loved it!

Cameron,
I think that Pheonix was reclinata and not a roebelenii, easily confused with all there other huge old specimens.

OMG the size of that Cycas revoluta, that was Crazy! That shows how old some of there specimens are

Steve nailed the double headed one, I have seen a double headed sabal palmetto in Vero Beach Florida, very different palm.

Very Nice,
Bill

[hardyjim]

What an unbelievably beautiful place!

It must be wonderful to see the Pyramids close up!

[Jubaea]

Thanks for posting the pictures. I really like the double headed branching palm.

[DesertZone]

Those Hyphaene sp are so cool. They have a crown like a sabal almost.

PS. thanks Steve for the name on those palms I knew it started with an H but that was it.

[TerdalFarm]

Thanks for sharing those Egypt photos.
All the Phoenix were neat. I like see palms growing where they show all their potential.
I also like a good botanical garden, and Aswan looks like it. Ceiba?!? Cool! Such an important tree in the Americas! Plus all the "new world" palms they have, looking great. I bet Washingtonia love it there.
Will you have English palm photos for us, too?
--Erik

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

For good measure, one more shot of Hyphaene thebaica:

<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0457.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I really liked these palms as well. I didn't see them in the northern areas of Egypt or in the Sinai peninsula. I only saw them in the south, around Aswan and Luxor.

Here are some growing right beside the Nile:
<img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192 ... 6-0448.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Thanks for the help with the IDs!

Bill, if I remember correctly, the garden was started some time in the 19th century. I was a little surprised to see the revoluta being so tall as well lol. I'd say they were at least 8 feet tall, probably closer to 10 feet.

I'll put some photos of England up later, possibly this weekend. I haven't had a chance to transfer them over from my camera yet