Every tree has a story of its own which makes it more interesting. Here are some of the trees around the word with interesting and somewhat unusual history.
The Anne Frank Tree - The Netherlands
Have you read Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl? A tree was featured on the diary and now known as Anne Frank's tree. This tree is the horse-chestnut tree in the city center of Amsterdam Anne Frank described the tree from the building where she and her family were hiding from the Nazis during the Second World War. The tree is estimated between 150 and 170 years old.The Red Forest - Ukraine
Worm Wood Forest which is now called the Red Forest refers to the trees in the 10 km square surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The name “Red Forest” comes from the ginger-brown color of the pine trees after they died following the absorption of high levels of radiation from the Chernobyl accident on 1986. In the post-disaster cleanup operations, the Red Forest was bulldozed and buried in “waste graveyards”. The site of the Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world today.The Joshua Tree - United States
The name Joshua tree was given by a group of Latter-Day Saints who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The Cahuilla Native Americans who have lived in the southwestern United States for generations still identify with this plant as a valuable resource. Their ancestors used the leaves of Joshua tree to weave sandals and baskets in addition to harvesting the seeds and flower buds for nutritious meals.Banyan Tree Park - Hawaii, USA
A 132 year-old banyan tree in Lahaina, Hawaii stands in Banyan Tree Park. This tree was imported from India and was 2.5 meters or 8 ft tall when it was planted on 1873 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Christian missionary work. The tree is now 18 meters (60 ft) high with 12 major trunks. The banyan tree in Courthouse Square is noteworthy for its size covering 2/3 of an acre.The Lone Pine - Turkey
Gallipoli Peninsula was the sight of one of the fiercest battles during the First World War. A solitary tree called “The Lone Pine” marked the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in 1915. Pines which are planted as a memorial to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought in Gallipoli are also known as “Lone Pines” or “Gallipoli Pines”, referencing the original tree.The Baikushev's Pine - Bulgaria
The Baikushev's Pine is a coniferous tree from the species Bosnian Pine situated in Pirin, Bulgaria. It is called after his discoverer the forest-guard Baikushev. The tree dates from more than 1,300 years which makes it one of the oldest in Bulgaria and contemporary of modern Bulgaria's first Khan, Asparukh. Its approximate height is 24 meters with a diameter of 2.2 meters and a circumference 7.8 meters.The Guilty Chinese Scholar Tree - China
One of China's most historical trees is “The Guilty Chinese Scholar Tree”. This tree is a specimen of Pagoda Tree located in Beijing's Jingshan Park. It is a famous tree and national landmark on which the last Ming Chongzen Emperor hanged himself after a group of peasants led by Li Zicheng successfully stormed the Forbidden City. Fortingall Yew - Scotland, UK
Although the Norway spruce is considered the oldest tree in the world, the Fortingall Yew is still considered by many as the oldest tree in Europe. The Fortingall Yew is an ancient yew in the churchyard of the village of Fortingal in Perthshire, Scotland. Various estimates have put its age at between 2,000 and 5,000 years; recent research into yew tree age suggests that it is likely to be nearer the lower limit of 2,000 years.
The yew's once massive trunk (16 meters, or 52 feet in girth in 1769, of unknown original height) is split into several separate stems, giving the impression of several smaller trees. The area immediately surrounding Fortingall has one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric archaeological sites in Scotland.The Chandelier Tree - California, USA
Have you seen a tree where a car can drive through it? Chandelier Tree is a 315 foot (96 meter) tall coast redwood tree in Legget, California with a 6 foot (1.83m) wide by 9 foot (2.74m) high hole cut through its base to allow a car to drive through. The hole was carved in the 1930s. The carcass of a giant sequoia, the former Wawona Tree, which once had a similar tunnel cut through it, is lying on the ground in Yosemite National Park.Sacred Fig Tree - Sri Lanka
A tree planted in 288 B.C. is considered the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The Sacred Fig tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka is said to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Buddha became enlightened. It is one of the most sacred relics of the Buddhist in Sri Lanka and respected by Buddhists all over the world.The Cotton Tree - Sierra Leone
The Cotton Tree is a historic symbol of Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. It was found growing in the town centre in 1792 when a group of former American slaves, who had gained their freedom by fighting with the British in the American War of Independence, joined the settlement and gave it the name Freetown. The tree is also the site for offering prayers for peace and prosperity.The Balmville Tree - USA
The Balmville Tree is an old-growth Eastern cottonwood growing at the intersection of River Road, Balmville Road and Grand Avenue in Balmville, New York. It is the oldest tree of that species in the Eastern United States.
Local folklore has it that the tree grew when George Washington planted his walking stick while he and the Continental Army were encamped in nearby Newburgh during the final years of the Revolutionary War. But core samples of the tree have dated its growth to 1699, well before American independence.The Burmis Trees - Canada
The Burmis Tree is the only point of interest left of the once prosperous coal mining and lumber town of Burmis, which is now comprised of just a small collection of recreational properties. The unique and starkly shaped tree, named after the community, is Limber pine that is more than 300 years old. The town's name came from combining the names of two early settlers, Robert H. Burns and Jack Kemmis.The 1,000 year-old Ginkgo Tree - Japan
Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine built in 1063 is the most important shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Minamoto no Sanetomo, the third Kamakura shogun, was assassinated in 1219 by an archer hiding behind the great ginkgo tree that still stands beside the great staircase at the shrine.The Hangman's Elm - New York, USA
According to legends, traitors were hanged at this location during the American Revolutionary War and that the Marquis de Lafayette witnessed the festive hanging of 20 highwaymen from the elm in 1824. Hangman's Elm, or simply “The Hanging Tree”, is an English Elm located at the Northwest corner in Washington square Park, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It stands 110 feet (33.52 m) tall and has a diameter of 56 inches (1.42 m) and said to be 310 year-old.The Boab Prison Tree - Australia
The Boab Prison Tree is a large hollow Adansonia gregorii (Boab) tree just south of Derby, Western Australia. It is reputed to have been used in the 1860's as a lockup for Indigenous Australian prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. It is now a tourist attraction.Green Giant Tree - Iran
With the old age of this tree, which is estimated to be 4,000 years old, many stories can be told about this tree. This tree is called Sarv-e-Abarkooh, also called “Zoroastrian Sarv,” is situated near Abarghood, Yazd, thought to be oldest Cypress (sarv) and oldest tree in Iran. The Chankiri Tree or Killing Tree - Cambodia
A Chankiri Tree or Killing Tree was a tree in the Cambodian Killing Fields which children and infants were slung against to kill them. Some of the soldiers laughed as they beat the children against the trees. Not to laugh could have indicated sympathy, making oneself a target.
These trees are just a handful of the many historic trees around the world. If you knew some, please feel free to add them in your comment. Thank you.
