It was going to be a long commute. The elderly woman sitting across from me on the Amtrak train to Philadelphia had just fished out of her purse, her plastic expanding photo album. No doubt I was in for five feet of pictures of her grand kids. Stifling a sigh, I could only think,

"Not only am I an animal magnet, I'm a magnet for people's life stories. Here comes another one."

Life usually doesn't fail to disappoint me. I was right. For the first ten minutes after leaving DC's Union Station.  I got to hear pretty much her life story in a nutshell. Smugly, I watched for the inevitable next phase of these human magnet encounters.

Boy, was my intuition wrong! The photos this grand old traveler had whipped out, were of the remarkable and amazing trees she'd met along her life as a photo journalist. I've never forgotten that pleasant train ride and meeting Miss Geneva.

Nor, have I forgotten certain extraordinary and noteworthy trees that she introduced me to.

The Bo Tree, or also known as the Sacred Fig Tree of India, has been considered a holy tree by Buddhists. It's said that the sites of ancient temples can always be identified as Brahmin or Buddhist, according to whether there is growing near them, either a Banyan tree or a Bo tree.

In general, the Banyan tree and the Bo tree are much alike in appearance. The difference is that the Bo tree sends down, not rootlets, but true branches which, as soon as they reach the ground, take root and become thick stems, very similar to what happens in the case of the Banyan tree.

The Bo tree is an ancient living tree, meaning that it has a long long life. There is one revered Bo tree in the ruined city of Anuradhapura, that is believed to have been planted in 188 B.C. It's claimed that this one tree originated from a branch of the tree under which Buddha sat and meditated.

In 1887, the main stem broke off during a storm. The buddhist priest reverently gathered the fragment and cremated it with great ceremony. While the Banyan tree can be the biggest tree in regard to the amount of ground it covers, the Bo is the largest tree in terms of girth of the trunk.

It is a relative of the common mallow. Some people refer to it as Monkey's Bread. This name evolved because of the liking monkeys have for its fruit. Native to West Africa, it has migrated thanks to mankind to the East and West Indies.

It never reaches a height of more than sixty or seventy feet, but often can achieve a girth of nearly a hundred feet. It's branches can be more than sixty feet long, and often grow as thick as the trunk of your average Oak tree. The crown of the tree forms on the top can reach an astounding five hundred feet in circumference.

You'll find that the juicy acid fruit is a remarkably refreshing drink. It looks very much like a cucumber, both in size and shape. It's been used for centuries as a natural medicine for fevers. The leaves are also sought after for medicinal values, as well as the bark for a strong fibre, being made into ropes in times past. People have even tried to use it as a substitute for silk and cotton with modest success.

In my mind, the remarkable Baobab tree, that is native to West Africa might be a tree is the most tenacious of all living things on earth. It's pretty amazing when you think about it, how natives of West Africa having been removing the fibre of the Baobab tree while it's still living, coming back again and again, to the same tree.

All other trees would eventually die from this practice. Yet, the Baobab tree just grows a fresh supply of bark.  As a result of this practice, the trunks of these can become quite hallow. Some have even been hallowed out to the point that twenty or thirty people can stand inside the tree -- yet the Baobab tree continues to not only grow, but flourish.

Even more astounding, is that if blown down or cut down, it continues to produce fresh wood as it lies on the ground.

The bark is cork like, virtually fire proof, and has been used for both clothing and rope. The leaves are popular for folk medicines and even as a food supplement.

If you travel to Panama, there is an extraordinary tree -- the Candle tree. It produces its fruit in the form of what looks like old fashioned candles about four feet long, with thousands on just a single tree. It's scientific name is Parmentiera cereifera.

They are exactly the same color of natural yellow candle wax, that our ancestors were accustomed to seeing in old-fashioned tallow candles.

The resemblance to a candle isn't limited to the fruit of the Candle tree. The fruits actually contain far more than half their weight of fat, and natives used it for lamp-oil for generations.

It's fruits are edible and so are it's seeds. The flowers and it's unusual appearance make it a popular ornamental tree in some locations.

Another noteworthy tree are the Australian Grass trees. The most well-known variety is a little strange looking and is actually a member of the lily family.

On a stout stem, as thick as an oak trunk, rising to fifteen or twenty feet -- you'll see a mass of grass like foliage. Additionally, a number of flower-like stalks appear on the top, with blossoms that make them look like drumsticks. For that reason, a common name for the tree is the Drumstick Grass tree.

There are a variety of species, one that is named the Aborescent Grass tree -- which grows branches at the top. Then there is still another smaller species of grass tree that from a distance resembles the image of a native holding a spear.

A native of Madagascar, the Traveler's tree is a close relative of the banana. This "tree" rises as a succulent stem from the ground and then sends out leaves on two opposite sides.

The leaves are five or six feet long, and grow on the ends of stalks seven or eight feet long -- giving the tree the general appearance of a gigantic fan.

As the stem grows up, the lower leaves decay and fall off, so that the fan-like appearance is preserved. The plant gets it's name and reputation due to the fact that the large cup lie sheaths of the leaf stalks contain considerable stores of good water, which travelers are able to tap by simply cutting the sheath at the base.

The leaves of the Traveler's tree have been used in the past for thatching roofs. The stalks have also been used for walls and partitions in houses.

While flying bats know the Pandanus tree well, most humans don't, unless they are from Indonesia, Hawaii, or some of the South Sea Islands.

It's an important and unusual tree in sea coastal areas and not only provides relief from beach erosion, but also has over one hundred different uses, some of them include:

• Edible fruit
• Made into dental floss
• The flowers are often made into perfume
• Folk medicines for many ailments
• Irrigation
• Timber for housing

Probably the most interesting part of the tree is it's leaves, that can measure an outstanding six feet in length and have many uses.

From the rain forest region of Guiana, the Cannon Ball tree isn't one that you would likely forget once you've seen one. They are very tall and large trees, usually growing up to seventy-five feet tall.

When in flower, they are simply beautiful as the flowers which turn into fuit, grow directly on the trunks. While the flowers are pleasantly fragrant, it takes a strong will to get past the aroma of the fruit to actually eat it. The flowers have been long time ingredients in perfumes. The fruit does taste good though. 

Cannonball trees require patience as you won't see your first flowers on this tree for a good ten years.  Of course, no flowers, no cannonball fruits.

If you live in a temperate area that is not prone to frost and cold weather, more on the tropical side, these can very fun trees and fast growing trees to grow from seed. Like the coconut, the shells often are fashioned into other useful items, such as bowls and containers.

So, today I sit thinking about seven of Miss Geneva's incredible and noteworthy trees. Of them, I've only stood beside the Cannonball tree, gazed up at the Pandanus tree, been shaded by more than one Banyan tree, and smiled at a Traveler's tree. I have at least three unique trees more to go.

The day she introduced me to her remarkable and amazing trees, one comment stands as tall as any tree in her plastic traveling picture album:

"You don't have to seek artificial and man-made marvels to be filled with wonderment -- nature provides far grander mysteries and miracles just in ordinary trees."

That long commute to Philadelphia proved to fly by, far too quickly. I now laugh, because indeed it's going to be a long commute to Australia, West Africa, and India just to see Miss Geneva's trees. Having grown much older and wiser than when I first peeked inside her world, I've come to love those long commutes -- and being a magnet for the life stories filled with wonderment, mysteries, and miracles of remarkable and amazing people and all that they've seen -- and that includes trees.