Interesting fact: there are only about 700 species of conifers growing on Earth, but it is the conifers that hold many records.
The nomination for “the thickest tree” was no exception.
The palm of primacy was given to Taxodium mexicanum, or rather, one of them, known as the Tree of Tule.
It holds the title of the thickest tree, and since 2001, the honorary title of “UNESCO World Heritage Site”.
The trunk of the Tule Tree, which, by the way, grows in the state of Oaxaca, has a diameter of 11 meters.
But in terms of height, as they say, the record holder “didn’t make it”: its height is only 35 meters, while the width of the crown is 44 meters.
Initially, it was believed that these were several fused specimens of Taxodium, but genetic analysis showed that this was, in fact, one tree.
Its age is estimated at approximately 1500 years.
It is noteworthy that this taxodium was an object of worship even during the Aztec Empire. Moreover, there is a legend according to which the Tree of Tule was planted by the Zapotec priest Ehecatl.
