100-foot 'walking tree' in New Zealand looks like an Ent

 

Image courtesy of Gareth Andrews.

Joel Kontinen  

“An unusual northern rātā tree that looks like it is striding across an empty field has been crowned New Zealand's Tree of the Year. The giant plant, which looks strikingly similar to an Ent from "The Lord of the Rings,"

“The strange tree, which has been nicknamed the "walking tree" because it looks like it's striding across a field, is a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) — one of New Zealand's tallest flowering tree species that can live for up to 1,000 years.”

“ It's roots and long, arm-like branches make the tree look like an Ent — a fictional race of tree-like creatures that guard the forests of Middle-earth. The tree stands alone in the middle of a large paddock next to a cemetery near Karamea on the west coast of South Island. It is around 32 meters or 105 feet tall — around the same height as a seven-story building, “

“Northern rātā trees are epiphytes — a type of tree that tarts life growing on the surface of a host tree before growing aerial roots that eventually reach the ground. The walking tree likely began life high up in the canopy of its host, living off air and rainwater before reaching the ground. Its unusual root layout was likely caused by how it grew around its host tree, which probably died off centuries ago.”

Trees are wonderful. Some scientists say that they sleep.

 

Source:

Harry Baker. 100-foot 'walking tree' in New Zealand looks like an Ent from Lord of the Rings — and is the lone survivor of a lost forest | Live Science 4 June.