Submitted by zabliminal t3_11dsduh in mildlyinteresting
Comments
SillyWhabbit t1_jaaiv44 wrote
It's a branch with dead needles, not a leaf.
thedarkonespr0npicks t1_jaaodqo wrote
6 years in an apparently relatively dry environment is hardly enough time for appreciable decay to occur. There are several reasons why the Atacama and Egyptian mummies can survive 1000s of years in the condition they do, and lack of moisture is one of the primary ones. My grandmother pressed flowers in books sometime in the 1940s. We discovered them a couple of years ago when we cleared out her house; they still had most of their original colour and were in remarkable condition.
zabliminal OP t1_jaaoydo wrote
Ok sorry, in my native language every leaf is a leaf when translated to English.
zabliminal OP t1_jaapei3 wrote
I'm just fascinated how it still looks the way it was when I first took it home. We don't have any of these kind of trees in our area. Mostly the leaves that I see decays after a few days.
ThatLooksFunky t1_jaapkae wrote
We have a news flash here.
zabliminal OP t1_jaaqnt3 wrote
I just realized that we really don't have any specific name for different types/shapes of leaves. We just call them leaf/leaves of + name of plant.
thedarkonespr0npicks t1_jaas7t6 wrote
Pine resin was also one of the ingredients used in the embalming process in Egypt due to its natural antimicrobial properties, so pine needles are naturally quite microbe resistant. IIRC, If you keep pine needles cool while drying, the chlorophyll can remain stable in which case the needles will stay green for an incredible amount of time.
zabliminal OP t1_jaaucoi wrote
Oooh wow will they last decades? I'll keep mine for as long as I can
thedarkonespr0npicks t1_jaav073 wrote
They appear to quite dry (not necessarily a good thing), so your biggest enemy is handling/moving them. The less they move, the longer they will last.
Training-Common1984 t1_jaawiqr wrote
No need to apologize, a needle is just a special kind of leaf. They are better adapted to cold climates and areas with low humidity - the narrow shape minimizes water loss to the atmosphere. Each needle is a whole leaf by itself, so you have quite a few leaves there! Do you live in a tropical place, where most plants have large, broad leaves?
zabliminal OP t1_jab1iy9 wrote
That is very interesting! And that is correct, yes I live in a tropical place and the leaves here dry up after a few days and they'll decay after a couple of weeks. And we call this whole branch a leaf lol didn't realize one needle is already a leaf
I took this branch home when we were hiking because it reminds me of Harry's broomstick (doesn't look like it now) and just left it on my bookshelf. I rarely touch it except when I'm cleaning.
the-bearwitch t1_jab7ut4 wrote
Neat, it looks like a witch's broom
Party-Ring445 t1_jabbfkr wrote
Are you saying the tree is not biodegradable? And they are ending up in our soil??
twohedwlf t1_jaaiix2 wrote
congratulations, you've discovered the preservation abilities of drying. Also the antiseptic properties of pine needles.