How does a tree grow out of a brick wall?

Question

I recently visited Hong Kong Island and saw several examples of trees growing sideways out of brick walls.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kyuzo7/Places/photo#5016538147395326978

http://picasaweb.google.com/kyuzo7/Places/photo#5016493123253162818

Both of these pictures were taken on Hong Kong Island in the area around the Central Escalator.

Does anyone know how these trees are able to do this? What species of tree is this? If these trees can grow out of brick walls and survive, why don't cities everywhere do this?

Answer 1

Nice photos. Do you think they could be strangler figs?

Answer 2

properly you could not improve a tree in a wall. It first starts off out as a seed and flew right into a crack. The seed grew right into a plant and the crack grew too. The plant maintains becoming or chokes and dies. The plant finally grew right into a tree. Now if the tree became a mountaineering plant-- a liana or ivy, it fairly is an entire diverse tale.

Answer 3

http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/tree-roots-concrete-pavement-4.jpg As long as the roots have access to water and a trace amount of minerals and the leaves have access to sunlight. They'll grow. Some plants are nitrogen fixers requiring little fertilization and some plants have beneficial relations with mycorrhizal fungi which allows them to colonize even the poorest soils.

Answer 4

well as long as the tree is supplied with water and sunlight it can grow anywhere. My guess is that it has extrememly shallow roots or the building is abandoned and it just happens to be growing through a wall.