9. Banyan Trees, India
Some travel journalists say that Banyan trees are probably “the most interesting trees” anywhere on Earth. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Thimmamma Marrimanu, which can be found in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Spanning an area of over 0.02 square kilometers, it resembles a veritable forest of individual trees, and yet it isn’t.
These trees have aerial prop roots that actually grow from the tree’s canopy downward into the soil. Thimmamma Marrimanu has more than 1,000 aerial prop roots and is thus the largest banyan tree/forest on the planet. Legend has it that this tree sprouted from the place where the lovely Lady Thimmamma burned herself on her dead spouse’s funeral pyre in the 1200s. Today couples hoping to have children visit the tree thinking it will result in a pregnancy.
10. The Fortingall Yew Tree, Scotland
This European Yew tree is more than 3,000 years old. It is located in a quiet churchyard in Perthshire and is the oldest of its kind in the United Kingdom. Ah, but this particular tree is famous for more than its age. It is also famous for having gone through a sex change.
By all accounts, this tree has always been a male tree. More recently, sources indicate a cluster of red berries was discovered growing on one of the yew’s branches. Since berries grow only on female yews, the current hypothesis is that environmental stress has caused a change. Stranger, the rest of this tree is still male. Therefore, we can’t help but ask: Is this a trans-tree now?
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