30+ Of The Most Beautiful Trees In The World

Trees are not only abundant and diverse but also offer countless benefits. Each tree is as unique as a snowflake, providing wood, food, fiber, and spiritual grounding. They are revered as sacred gifts, vital for their medicinal properties and ecological roles, such as absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Trees regulate our climate and enhance global ecology through their variety, enabling them to thrive in different environmental niches. Here are 30 of the world’s most beautiful trees, each celebrated for its distinct beauty.

Rhododendron Over 125 Years Old

Even though Rhododendrons are technically a shrub, this ancient giant most certainly passes for a tree. Not just any tree, after a photo of it was uploaded to Reddit, it has come to be known as one of the most beautiful trees around. Located in British Columbia, this beauty is even more stunning in spring and early summer before the blooms begin to fall.

The Frankenstein Tree Of Many Colors

This tree, though beautiful, does not occur naturally. Rather, the “forty fruited tree” is part of an ongoing horticulture experiment. It is one of many trees that have been grafted to produce up to 40 different stone fruits, including peaches, apricots, cherries, and plums.

Some Of The Oldest Trees On Earth; Bristle Cone Pine

The bristlecone pine trees are known to be some of the oldest living trees on earth. This one turned 4,850-years-old last year in 2018. While it makes sense one might think this is the oldest living specimen in the species, it was actually surpassed by another bristlecone not far from it in the Inyo National Forest located in California’s White Mountains and is thought to be well beyond 5,000-years-old.

The Cypress Trees Of Caddo Lake

Caddo Lake straddles the border between Louisiana and Texas and sprawls for over 26,000 acres. Here, the largest Cypress forests in the world reside, growing straight up out of the water. Caddo is so named after the Native Americans who settled there in the late 1600s, whose legend tells of the creation of the massive lake from a monumental flood.

Topiary Tree

Topiary trees are the best friend of the naturalist sculptor. Their constant growth of fresh green twigs and leaves can become unkempt in no time at all, but if pruned frequently it can be made into a living sculpture, representing whatever it is that the artist wants to communicate. Some of the most beautiful, though, are the ones that have been trimmed to accent the elegant, pale curvature of its underlying trunk and limbs.

A Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese maples have long been favored in ornamental gardens. They stay relatively small, even while growing gigantic in size compared to other specimens in their own species. In addition, they produce weeping legions of leaves that change from green and dark purple to brilliant yellow, red, and orange, providing a brilliant and showy display of color in Autumn before falling to the ground. This specimen is quite large for its kind and grows in the Japanese Gardens located in Portland, Oregon.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree

We are all familiar with the scent of Eucalyptus, generally found in chest rubs and cold medicines. What many people don’t know about it, though, is how brilliantly colored some species can be. This is the Rainbow Eucalyptus famously grown in Hawaii.

Japanese Wisteria

Although they can reach up to 65 feet high and over 30 feet wide, the Japanese Wisteria plant is actually a vine, not a tree. They produce gorgeous sprays of small flowers in blue, purple, pink, or white. They attract all manner of bees and butterflies, making for a wonderful pollinator plant in any garden, but be careful; they are known for overtaking many trees and shrubs and can quickly get out of hand if not pruned back frequently.

Dragonblood Tree

This tree is certainly one of the most interesting on the planet, as it works in reverse compared to other trees. It grows throughout the islands of the Indian Ocean and is one of the only species that can grow in the harsh, dry desert climate in which they are found. Its thick umbrella-shaped canopy keeps the trunk and root system in the shade, and its tiny leaves suck water right out of the air and send it down to the roots. Thanks to this tree, small micro-oasis’ can exist in the middle of the desert heat where they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.

Wind Struck Trees Of New Zealand

Located on Slope Point, South Island in New Zealand, these trees withstand some of the windiest conditions on the planet, and in one of it’s most barren places. Due to the overpoweringly strong Antarctic winds that rush through the island at over 2,000 miles per hour, these trees have been bent by time and elemental force into a beautifully twisted forest. The winds are so strong in fact, that only sheep will pasture there, usually without a human presence.

Mossy Antarctic Beech Tree

Contrary to their name, Antarctic Beech trees actually thrive in Australia. They originated over 180 million years ago in Antarctica when its warmer climate supported diverse plants and wildlife. Once the continents drifted apart and Antarctica grew frigid, these traveling beech trees made their way down to to the warmer weather in Australia where there are some stands identified at over 12,000 years old!

“The President” Giant Sequoia Tree

This tree was perhaps made most famous when it was given its name. In 1923, the massive tree was named after then-President Warren G. Harding, with two nearby stands of Sequoia’s referred to as “The Congress Group” to keep with the political theme of the names. “The President” experienced a resurgence in fame when National Geographic photographed arborists dangling from its colossal branches, making them appear microscopic in comparison.

Jacarandas Trees

You can find these beautiful blue giant trees growing in many parts of the world today. They are originally from the tropical regions of the Caribbean, South and Central Americas, and Mexico. Although they were widespread elsewhere as early as the 1700s, they are now considered to be highly invasive in many areas with climes like that of South Africa and Australia and are illegal to cultivate there.

Angel Oak Tree

The Angel Oak tree is named after the park in which it stands. Located on John’s Island just outside of Charleston, North Carolina, this oak tree is thought to be nearly 500 years old. While it reaches up to nearly 67 feet high, its most impressive feature is the length of its sprawling branches, the longest of which is 187 feet!

Chinese Empress Tree

The Chinese Empress (a.k.a. Royal Empress) tree is one of the fastest growing trees on the planet, often growing over 15 feet in just one year. They produce huge, showy purple trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom from spring to fall and have a sweet scent that people often compare to grapes. They commonly grow over 30 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide, but have also been known to reach a height of 60 feet with a 40-foot width.

Mimosa Tree

The Mimosa tree is also known for growing rapidly compared to others, but of more interest than that is their peculiar leaves. The mimosa puts out long branches flanked by what looks like fern leaves that curl inwards in the evening, and so it is known as the “sleeping tree” in Japan. They are cold hardy up to -10°F and can grow in just about any soil type. In addition to their showy flowers that pop against their green foliage, the dainty blooms let off an intoxicating scent that is welcome to humans and animals alike.

Juvenile Mangrove Trees

While there is only a small handful of mangrove species, they are one of the most interesting and important ecological players for coastal regions and shorelines. Mangroves begin their life as a seed in the thick, salty mud in tidal areas along tropical and subtropical coastal ranges. As they grow upwards out of the water to bear a huge lime-green canopy, their roots stay submerged, growing into a thickly tangled mass that harbors and aids in the production of over 1/5th of marine life. Their insane root mass also weakens the strength of tropical hurricane-force winds and powerful tsunamis, making them a key species in preventing shoreline erosion and marine life decimation, while also playing a huge role in saving thousands of lives.

Olive Tree

It’s no great wonder that olive trees have been around since ancient times, especially taking into account how many times the use of its oil has been mentioned in the Bible. However, most people don’t realize that there are still olive trees that are alive today that were growing even back then! Such as this tree, located in northern Lebanon and believed to be one of the same stands of olive trees where the dove pulled a branch from and flew back to Noah’s ark to signify the flooding was over.

Flamboyant Tree

This tree is properly named for its flamboyant display of vibrant red, orange, and yellow blooms that last several weeks in early to mid-summer. Due to its color, it is also frequently called the flaming tree. It grows fast and can reach up to 30 feet in height, but will only grow in a tropical climate, so you might have to travel to see this beauty in bloom.

Banyan Tree

These amazing trees are interesting for more than just their insanely far-reaching branches. Believed to be the “World Tree” of a 2,500 year old Hindu religious text, it depicts a Banyan tree upside down, with the roots reaching down from Heaven to disperse blessings to humanity throughout its earth-bound canopy. The largest living specimen of these colossal trees is located in Andhra Pradesh and covers an area of almost 5 acres that can fit up to 20,000 people beneath its large, sprawling canopy.

Magnolia Tree

Magnolia trees are one of the most beautiful jewels that bloom in Springtime ornamental gardens and the wild alike. They produce large showy flowers in a multitude of colors including purple, pink, red, white, yellow and green. Although they can appear as a dainty ornamental, they have actually been around and evolving for over 95 million years, and can grow up to 80 feet tall with a 50 foot canopy, and they can live to be 100 years old!

Balete Tree

This particular tree is local to the Philippines and is thought to be over 600 years old. It has grown to be over 200 feet tall and over 50 feet wide, making it one of the largest trees of its kind. In the Philippines, it is believed that the tree is home to spiritual, supernatural beings in local legends and folklore.

Northern Ireland’s Dark Hedges

The Dark Hedges of Northern Ireland are actually comprised of a row of old beech trees flanking either side of the long, winding Bregagh Road. The eerie tunnel made by the trees has become more popular than ever in recent years after appearing in HBO’s The Game Of Thrones. With the publicity from the show, the Dark Hedges have since become the number one photographed place in all of Ireland.

Tree Of Life In Bahrain

This tree isn’t named for its beautiful canopy or massive height and width. It earned its name due to where it grows, in the harsh climate of Bahrain. Even though it grows in the middle of the Arabian Desert, it thrives with thick displays of lush green leaves. The mesquite tree has been living without an apparent source of water for over 4,000 years, making it the tree of life, indeed!

Japanese Plum Trees

Although its name suggests it originated in Japan, this plum tree actually first became known in China, and later came to the United States through Japan, hence the confusion. While everyone knows how delicious its fruit can be, there is another reason to grow it. This tree’s twisting and curvaceous branches that lift long, wispy branches covered in tiny purple-pink flowers before fruiting makes it an absolute must-have in any ornamental garden!

Wikimedia Commons
Source:

Wikimedia Commons

Baobab Tree

The Baobab tree has 9 different species, six of them are native to Madagascar while two originated in Africa and one in Australia. Also known as the “upside down” tree for the way its canopy resembles other trees’ roots, this tree is known to Africans as the “Tree of Life”. This name is perhaps the most appropriate, as the trunk is 80% water and keeps locals hydrated in times of severe drought, as well as provides them with medicine, shelter, and a superfruit that surpasses most others in Calcium, vitamin C, potassium, and iron, and they can even live for over 3,000 years!

Joshua Trees

Although this strange tree looks more like a cactus, technically it is neither. Joshua trees are actually in the Yucca genus, making them part of the lily family. The “tree” got its name in the mid-1800s from a group of Mormons on a pilgrimage who stumbled upon them and likened them to hands being lifted up to God in prayer.

Weeping Willow

Perhaps one of the most iconic of trees, the Weeping Willow has been a favorite tree in freshwater landscapes for thousands of years. More than just pretty, this tree is known for its production of salicin, which after its discovery led to the mass production of aspirin. Ironically, when the rain falls upon their long branches, they resemble teardrops, which is how it got its name as a Weeping Willow.

Bottle Trees

This odd-yet-beautiful tree is native to Queensland, Australia. It got its name for its bulbous-shaped trunk that narrows out to a thin canopy with relatively sparse leaves. Oddly enough, these trees are frequently thought to be hollow in the center of the trunk, but actually contain large amounts of water that cause the trunks swelling which gives it its name.

Naked Coral

This thorny tree is native to Mexico, and actually belongs to the pea family. The name naked coral comes from noting the rich coral colored flowers that bloom through spring and summer, and the “naked” form of the tree when it loses its thorns and leaves in winter. Sometimes the flowers are consumed as a mild narcotic to help bring on sleep and relaxation.

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