gravity, trees, severian

maa32 · 26 Mar 2002, 22:36 · from urth-v0203.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) gravity, trees, severian
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 15:36:33 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0203-474 at digest.urth.net>
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Here is something that I think is interesting: the Caesalpinia sappan that=20
Severian runs into in the Jungle garden is described as=20
"Lianas half obscured the entrance, and a great tree, rotted to punk, had=20
fallen across the path a few strides away.  Its trunk still bore a small si=
gn:=20
Caesalpinia sappan" (Shadow and Claw 123)
It is described as a great tree, yet here is my definition from a botany pa=
ge:

"- Small tree up to 5 m high with scattered spines. The compound leaves are=
 50=20
cm long, with 20-30 shiny leaflets. Flowers yellow, 2.5
cm in diameter with densely wooly filaments. Fruit is hard,
indehiscent, shiny pod about 7 cm long.
- Widely distributed in the Philippines at low and medium elevations,
often in dry thickets.
- Propagated by seeds and cuttings."

Is there a difference between "Small tree" and "great tree"? or is it just =
a=20
matter of "scale"?
At the beginning of the next chapter Severian says "a new sound - a new voi=
ce=20
- came from some red world still unconquered by thought".  (Sounds like mar=
s=20
or something, doesn't it?) when he describes the cry of the Smilodon.
The jungle garden is quite a bit warmer than the other botanic gardens, but=
 I=20
have always assumed this is because it was in the past.
Is there any possibility that the Jungle Garden is not actually on "Urth", =
but=20
is some place else? I don't know.
Marc



--=20

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