Trees are nature’s gift to the world. As well as providing the planet with oxygen, shade, habitat for animals, and resources like wood and paper, trees are simply beautiful to look at. It’s no surprise, then, that several trees around the world have achieved superstar status. Here are some world-famous trees and the stories behind them.
General Sherman
If you are looking for an awe-inspiring tree experience, it doesn’t really beat the world-famous tree, General Sherman, located in the Sequoia National Park in California. General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located in a grove of hundreds of other giant sequoias known as the Giant Forest. A behemoth among giants, the General Sherman Tree is the largest living tree on earth by volume and stands at a towering 275 feet with a massive 36-foot diameter at its base.
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree located in the Mahamewna Gardens in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka is a sacred fig tree and the oldest human-planted tree in the world with a written history. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree was cultivated in 288 BC from a branch of the Bodhi tree, the tree in Bodhgaya, India under which the Lord Buddha sat and achieved enlightenment over 2,000 years ago. A Buddhist nun transported the branch from India to Sri Lanka and the king later planted it in his royal gardens.
Major Oak
Located in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, Major Oak is the biggest oak tree in the United Kingdom with a canopy spread over 90 feet. Major Oak is most famous for being associated with the legend of Robin Hood. According to legend, the infamous outlaw Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men used the Major Oak for shelter during their raids.
Methuselah
The oldest non-clonal tree in the world is the Methuselah tree in the White Mountains of Inyo National Forest in California. Methuselah is a bristlecone pine tree that dates back over 4,850 years. It gets its name from the biblical figure Methuselah known for his longevity. The Methuselah tree is the second oldest tree in the world after Old Tjikko in Sweden.
Old Tjikko
The oldest known tree in the world is Old Tjikko in Fulufjället National Park in Sweden. Old Tjikko is a Norway Spruce that dates back over 9,550 years. This old spruce is a clonal tree, which means that it has regenerated new trunks, branches, and roots over thousands of years, but its root system is the oldest in the world.
Lone Cypress
Standing alone on a hillside in Pebble Beach, California, the Lone Cypress is one of the world’s most famous trees. The Lone Cypress is a Monterey cypress aged approximately 250 years old and located between two of the foremost golf courses in the world, Cypress Point Golf Course and the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Unfortunately, the Lone Cypress tree has been subject to damage due to fires and storms in recent years, but it still stands there perched in all its lonesome glory.
Tree of Life
Located in the remote desert of Bahrain, the Tree of Life, or Sharajat-al-Hayat, is a mesquite tree that has, somehow, managed to survive and thrive without any known source of water in the barren desert for over 400 years. The Tree of Life is the only major tree growing in the region and some believe the ancient Sumerian god of water Enki blessed the tree with water, while others believe the Tree of Life is the site of the Garden of Eden.
