Tule Tree

About

With a trunk measuring 42.0 m (137.8 ft) around, the Tule Tree is the thickest tree in the world. In fact, it’s so large that scientists had to run DNA tests to confirm it was a single specimen and not multiple trees grown together. For the Montezuma cypress to reach such a size, scientists estimate it is between 1,200 and 3,000 years old. Local tradition holds that it was planted around 1400 years ago by a priest of the Aztec wind god, and its location on an indigenous sacred site supports this theory. Along with its impressive girth, it’s the gnarled trunk that has earned it the nickname “The Tree of Life”, for the knots are said to be shaped like lions, jaguars, elephants, and untold other creatures.