This cluster of unusual looking plants, rather distinguished looking with their reddish coloured turban on their large bulbous green stem, are called Turks Head Cactii. Did you know that "cactus" comes from the Ancient Greek word "kaktos", which was the name for a spiny plant whose identity is unknown. I'm not
needling you and perhaps you get the
point ?
****
We had taken a mooring ball in Salt Pond Bay for the day just so we could go hiking to Ram's Head, one of THE trails to hike when in St John. Well truth be told, all trails in St John, IOHO, are splendid.
As with many Caribbean islands, St. John is of volcanic origin. Ram's Head is where the volcano first emerged over a hundred million years ago.
I was still in considerable itchy pain with my Margarita Dermatitis and Dave questioned whether we should even go.
"You know, whether I sit on the boat, cranky and itchy and in pain, or whether I hike, it's sort of all the same" I whined as I laced up my sneakers and off we went, with friends Catherine and Henry on
SV Mowzer.
We walked along the hot sandy beach, and saw the Salt Pond hiding behind the clump of trees and left it to be be explored on the way back,
and after following the well trod path, stepping over pebbles and rocks as we gently inclined up, we soon found ourselves in the shade and very dry shrub,
where we noticed this little guy almost totally enveloped by dry grasses.
These cactii are also called Barrel Cactus or Pope's Heads. Or "mother-in-law's pincushion". All very apt descriptions of a spiny plant of unknown identity.
"Or, how about Compass Plants?" I said to Dave, at which point he just looked at me as if to say "What?" And "Why?"
"Because" I smiled in response at Dave's quizzical frown, "they tend to grow their long large spiny selves towards the South".
But mostly they're called Turks Head, as the red, fuzzy wool-coated cephalium of the plant is similar to the Turkish Fez hat.
We followed the trail a short while until we reached the Blue Cobblestone Beach, and a great view of Ram Head point off in the distance.
Just gorgeous views from the beach,
and then it was a sharp turn left, the clusters of rocks pointing the way
still heading toward the point of land "way over there" in the distance of the photo.
As we reached about halfway up the hill,
the views were still spectacular.
And this is where the cactii got strangely plentiful.
And enormous.
And everywhere.
We joked that the hike to Ram Head was via all the Turks Heads instead.
We were reaching the end of the point of land,
going higher and onwards,
Clambering over more of these,
until we reached the end of the sudden drop of a cliff, with nothing but forceful wind plummeting us sideways in a hold on to your hat type of moment.
The ocean view here at the peak of Ram Head is spectacular, the exposed jagged edges of rocks drown out the sounds of the surf as they yell of being born during times of erupting volcanoes.
"Geologically, the rock that makes up this headland is the oldest rock found on St. John. Evidence supporting this theory was gained when geologists, using diamond tipped drills, bored into the rock at Ram Head. They drilled down more than a half mile before breaking through the last of the rock. The new substance brought up by the drill was examined and shown to be the same material that makes up the ocean floor, indicating that no other rock was there before it."
and basked in the heights
"It has been speculated that this remote and inhospitable region provided a hideout for runaway slaves, called Maroons, who lived here just before the slave rebellion in 1733.
This was a time of severe drought on St. John. Food could not be easily grown and was in scarce supply. The biggest problem the Maroons faced was finding fresh water. The underground springs had dried up along with the freshwater pools of the major guts. On Ram Head, however, the Maroons could provide themselves with food and water. Water could be found stored in the cactus that proliferated on the peninsula and the sea around the point provided excellent fishing".
and looked from where we'd come.
And let's take another look here.
The ground was littered with some odd shaped pink type of what looked like very tiny peppers erupting out of the small cephalium. Apparently they are Fuchsia fruit, and quite edible.
I wasn't about to tempt fate and try them. Not while still suffering with all this Margarita Mayhem a.k.a. Lime Disease. I could end up with some spiny thorns for hands and wake up in the morning wearing a bright red cephalium on my head. Or something.