Tree of Life (Louisiana) explained

The Tree of Life, also known as the Étienne de Boré Oak, is a large, historic southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) in Audubon Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. Adjacent to Audubon Zoo's giraffe exhibit, the old and popular park landmark was planted around 1740.^[3]

The tree is commonly hugged and climbed.^{[4] [5]} Its crown is draped with Spanish moss. The tree's size and age led it to become one of the 43 inaugural members of the Live Oak Society.^{[2] [3] [6]}

History

The tree is said to have been planted by Étienne de Boré, the first Mayor of New Orleans, in 1771, as a wedding gift to his wife.^[7] However, this is just a rumor, as a sign adjacent to the tree says that it was planted around 1740.^[2]

External links

• I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing, a poem by Walt Whitman about the tree that was included in his collection Leaves of Grass (on Wikisource)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tucei . Larry . 2007-05-21 . Measurement of Southern Live Oak 'Tree of life' in Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States by Larry Tucei in 2007 . 2024-08-27 . Monumental Trees.
2. Web site: Sekhniashvili . Ellen . 2020-03-31 . Footprints: The tree of life . 2024-08-27 . ViaNolaVie . en-us . February 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240225160039/https://www.vianolavie.org/2020/03/31/the-tree-of-life/ . live .
3. Web site: Guion . William . 2010-07-08 . Etienne de Boré Oak (Tree of Life) . 2024-08-27 . 100 Oaks Project . en . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327081154/https://100oaks.blog/2010/07/08/etienne-de-bore-oak-tree-of-life/ . live .
4. Web site: Lopez . Kenny . 2015-04-22 . Tree hugging & climbing at the magnificent ‘tree of life’ in Audubon Park . 2024-08-26 . . October 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221004200339/https://wgno.com/news/local/tree-hugging-climbing-at-the-magnificent-tree-of-life-in-audubon-park/ . live .
5. Web site: 2023-11-03 . Ponder the Mysteries of the Universe at the Tree of Life . 2024-08-27 . Unusual Places . en-US . February 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240223073825/https://unusualplaces.org/tree-of-life-new-orleans/ . live .
6. Web site: 2011-03-01 . Old and Magnificent: 10 Top Live Oaks in Louisiana . 2024-08-26 . New Orleans Magazine . March 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230324100159/https://www.myneworleans.com/old-and-magnificent/ . live .
7. Web site: Tree of Life . 2024-08-27 . Audubon Zoo.