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  The finger-like roots growing in a tree's trunk in Thailand.

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THAILAND: A tree in Thailand has roots resembling "fingers" growing in its trunk.

The tree, which has medicinal properties, is located in a Thai Buddhist temple. The strange finger-like roots growing in its trunk have stirred the imagination of the locals. The superstitious gamblers among them have even begun praying to these "fingers" for winning numbers.

One of them claims that he struck it big after doing so. He said that when he had prayed to them, the 3 "fingers" seemed to move.

A priest at the temple said that the strange growths had been discovered some time in August. At the time, they thought nothing of it, but as the roots continued to grow they came to resemble human fingers, and word about them spread.

The temple staff has surrounded the tree with a metal railing because there are just too many people coming to pray to the "fingers".

There are those who think that the "fingers" are nothing more than oddly-shaped parasitic growths, while others are less sure and would prefer to have the growths checked by botanists.