Botany lesson

By Steve Jones
This item appears on page 49 of the November 2016 issue.

This month’s winner is STEVE JONES of Fiddletown, California

In May 2016, my wife, Susie, and I — along with 24 people from all around the world ­— were taking a tour of China prior to attending a World Federation of Rose Societies convention being held there.

In Kunming, Yunnan, near the lake, I noticed two female botanist friends of ours from Japan in deep discussion, so I asked what they were discussing.

They told me they were trying to identify a species of Pinus that was not indigenous to the area. 

I looked at the tree, did the Texas longhorn sign (fist with pinkie and thumb extended), put it to my ear and mouth and said, “Cell phone tower.”  

I have never seen anyone turn so red in embarrassment as these two.