Sammy Sosquirrely, is Exploring, Surely! Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Sammy Sosquirrely is in the USA, and an Asimina triloba has made his day. Also called a prairie banana because of its fruit, the shrub's maroon flowers are also quite cute. Growing not very tall - usually up to 35 feet - what shrub or small tree does Sammy think is so neat?

Answer: pawpaw

Bearing the largest edible fruit of any tree native to the USA, pawpaws are found throughout the midwestern, eastern and southern portions of the United States. Pawpaws contain a natural insecticide, and the tree itself attracts almost no pests. While it has never been as popular a fruit tree as many others, this has renewed interest in the tree as a crop source. And, George Washington particularly enjoyed chilled pawpaw as a dessert.

2. Sammy Sosquirrely is in the Florida Keys, and he can hardly believe what he sees. There's a Piscidia piscipula growing in the sandy ground, and along its branches whitish flowers are found. But the truly odd part of this deciduous tree is its extract that makes catching something quite easy! Do you know what tree has amazed Sammy?

Answer: Florida fishpoison tree

The Florida fishpoison tree is also called the Jamaican dogwood, or fishfuddle. Natives of the West Indies discovered the plant's use as a sedative which made fish easy to catch by hand. The tree's wood is rot-resistant, making it a good choice for outdoor purposes. Given the right growing conditions - full sunlight and well-drained sandy soil - it grows to a height of about 15 feet.

The fishpoison tree is also used for medicinal purposes, and may be useful as an anti-inflammatory medicine.

3. Sammy Sosquirrely is in southern Mexico, because that's where he was told to go. To find the Chiranthodendron, a tree that's actually rather fun. With flowers of bright red, Sammy has heard it said - the Aztecs worshiped this tree. Do you know which it might be?

Answer: Mexican hand tree

Known by several names - the hand-flower, monkey's hand or Devil's hand - the tree grows both in Mexico and Guatemala (where it is called the tree of little hands). In bloom, the five bright red stamens resemble a clawed human hand. The tree is a rapid grower, reaching between 35 and 90 feet in height. It flowers in the spring and summer, and is an evergreen.

4. Sammy Sosquirrely is visiting Limpopo - a place he has always wanted to go to. There's an Adansonia here, and it seems very clear: with edible fruit, leaves and seeds, this tree meets several needs. Sometimes called the monkey bread tree, what huge tree has Sammy come here to see?

Answer: baobab

The genus Adansonia is comprised of eight species, found in Madagascar, Australia, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa. They are deciduous trees which lose their leaves during dry spells, and store large quantities of water in their trunks. The leaves are edible, as are the fruit and seeds - which are also used for medicinal purposes.

The trees can grow quite large, with huge trunk diameters. Large enough, in fact, that in Limpopo, owners of a farm created a pub (The Big Baobab Pub) inside the hollow trunk of a baobab.

5. The Darlingtonia californica Sammy has found. It grows mostly in quite boggy ground. A carnivorous plant that is uncommon at best, it needs a dormancy, a die-down, a rest. With a look that scares those with ophiophobia away, what California plant is Sammy admiring today?

Answer: cobra lily

The cobra lily has a couple of other names, including the cobra plant and the California pitcher plant. It is native to northern California and Oregon, and is difficult to keep in cultivation. While it is possible to cultivate the plant, the process of the plant's pollination remains a bit of a mystery.

6. Sammy Sosquirrely should take a bow - he's arrived in Japan, where it's springtime now. The Prunus serrulata is the tree he's come to find, a rather small tree of the ornamental kind. With blossoms ranging from white to pink, the tree makes Sammy stop to think - what festive fruit tree has he come to see?

Answer: cherry

Prunus serrulata is known as the Japanese Cherry, Hill Cherry and East Asian Cherry tree. Found in Japan, China and Korea, the trees are deciduous, with their green leaves turning yellow or red in the autumn. Growing to a height of 26 - 39 feet, the tree is useful as both a fruit-bearing tree and an ornamental tree.

In Japan, hanami feasts are held to celebrate the flowering of the cherry trees.

7. Sammy Sosquirrely is visiting a new land - Australia, which is truly grand! The pretty wildflowers have caught his eye, and the Swainsona formosa actually made him sigh. With blooms that were originally pure white, Sammy thinks the hybridized varieties are an equal delight. Flowering during spring and summer days, this floral emblem of South Australia catches Sammy's gaze. But do you know which plant pleases him so?

Answer: Sturt's Desert Pea

Sturt's Desert Pea is named after the famed British explorer Charles Sturt (1795 - 1869). The plant is generally considered an annual, although with the proper conditions it can also be a perennial. It is well suited to desert conditions, with deep taproots, hard-coated seeds, and a tolerance for drought and extreme heat.

8. Scotland is where Sammy has gone, to see a tree that has lived very long. Taxus baccata is the evergreen, which in hedges is often seen. A tree that is small to medium in height, it's toxicity can be a true fright. Which tree with a history has Sammy come to see?

Answer: yew

The yew tree is now often called the European yew or English yew. Growing usually between 33 and 66 feet in height, the tree is well-suited to shaping, making it an ideal choice for formal hedges and topiary. It also has a significant history in several areas - including religion and medicine - and can be extremely long-lived.

As they age they lose their heartwood, rendering them virtually hollow - which makes dating them a very difficult task. There are several yew trees famed for their longevity, including the Fortingall Yew which is located in Perthshire, Scotland. That tree's exact age is unsure, but is estimated to be between 2,000 and 5,000 years.

9. Sammy Sosquirrely is setting forth, to Canada, so he must go north! Betula papyrifera he is seeking to find, a medium tree of the deciduous kind. The distinctive bark has unusual hues, and Sammy's heard the tree was used to make canoes! Can you tell Sammy which tree he is hoping to see?

Answer: paper birch

Also known as the Canoe Birch and the American Paper Birch, the tree is often one of the first new growths after a forest fire. With a height generally between 40 and 60 feet, it does not develop the peeling white bark until after five years of growth. Native North American tribes used the tree and its bark for several purposes, including as a building material, mosquito-repellant and medicinal tea.

The tree's two main pests are leaf miners and borers. And, despite the fact that it is not very nutritious, moose feed on the bark during the winter.

10. Sammy Sosquirrely has had a vision, so now he's in Italy on a mission. He must find the Olea europaea tree, a food tree of huge popularity. Boasting white flowers and a small fruit, the small squat tree is rather cute. Can you help Sammy name this tree of Mediterranean fame?

Answer: olive

Olive trees tend to be relatively short - usually topping out between 26 and 49 feet in height. The trees tolerate drought well, and while they are slow-growing, they flourish in hot sunny climates. Their fruits are picked in the autumn or winter, when the olives are green to purple in hue.

The trees are subject to a few pests and plant diseases, and rabbits can pose a serious danger to the trees by eating the bark.

Source: Author beergirllaura

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Sammy Sosquirrely is not at at home. He's packed a bag and decided to roam. He shall travel around and see what can be found. Sammy knows what to look for - so come along and explore!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>