"They come from the trace minerals in the soil that the cane grows in, and the tradewinds that blow on the islands," she said.

That is, the canes grow one year, then the following year they bear fruit and die.

"It is a fast-growing plant, but it is surely inconceivable that this body could have been here while the canes grew to be twenty feet in length."

(As the canes grow old and woody, they put out less bloom.)

Lady Banks's canes, which are thornless, can grow 20 feet, and they have exfoliating bark the color of cinnamon.

As the cane grows taller, fertilizer is used.

According to the legend, the cane used by a Buddhist on his way back from China had grown into the tree.

As the cane grows the outer layer of bark usually sheds, taking the prickles with it.

Flower buds will form as these canes grow.

The students spent three days in the rain forest, where they saw how cane, a renewable aerial root, grows.