Arbol del Tule -- old tree in Oaxaca

[BakerTREE]

These are a few pictures of a tree in Oaxaca, Mexico that I visited while in the area last summer. Enjoy!

 

[BakerTREE]

information on tree

Some info on the tree... sorry for the large file sizes :-(

 

[Elmore]

Montezuma Cypress. I've heard that many suspect this tree may actually be multiple trees growing so close as to appear as one.
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Taxodiaceae/Taxodium_mucronatum.html

 

[ray benson]

The Tree of Tule is often cited as having the largest trunk circumference in the world, but it has for long been thought that it might actually represent the fused trunks of several different individuals. However, recent study of DNA samples from the tree using random amplified polymorphic DNA indicates that it is in fact a single individual.

 

[Elmore]

The Tree of Tule is often cited as having the largest trunk circumference in the world, but it has for long been thought that it might actually represent the fused trunks of several different individuals. However, recent study of DNA samples from the tree using random amplified polymorphic DNA indicates that it is in fact a single individual.

Thanks for the update. I was thinking that DNA would tell.