Trees play an important role in natural landscape as well as in living organisms. Trees can provide food, shelter and protection to all creatues. However, not all trees are the same, some are more unusual and amazing than the others. Here are some strange trees found on our planet.

15 Fun and Strange Trees

1

Rainbow Eucalyptus

The Rainbow Eucalyptus is a tree, which is characterized with brightly colored barks. This tree, which is a native of the Philippines, sheds the outer layer of the bark and exposes new green bark underneath. However, as the bark ages, it undergoes several color changes. It appears green to blue, then, to purple, to orange and finally to brown before it is shed. However, the Rainbow Eucalyptus is not cultivated for decorative purposes and it is grown for paper manufacture.

2

Tree of Life

In a small island country Bahrain, the Tree of Life is considered as a very mysterious tree because it is a 4-century-old mesquite tree, which survives the desert even without water. It is really a great mystery. The name "Tree of Life" represents the magic of life. A legend is also attached to the location of the tree. Local dwellers believe that the area was the actual location of the Garden of Eden.

3

Teapot Baobab

The Baobabs are very strange trees which are popular due to their distinct shape. These trees are found in Madagascar and they are often called as the "Teapot Baobab". These trees are leafless in most of the year but they have thick and fire-resistant trunks which can store water. You would be surprised to know that some baobab trunks are so big that people can even reside inside the tree.

4

Chapel Tree

The Chapel Tree is one of the most popular trees in France. It is not just a tree and it is also a religious place and a building. In 1669, I'Abbe du Detroit and du Cerceau had built a chapel in 500-year-old oak tree which appeared hollow due to a lightning bolt. Today, the parts of the tree are dead and the crown gets smaller and smaller each year. Due to the old age, the Chapel tree is now covered with protective oak shingles.

5

General Sherman Tree

The General Sherman Tree is found in the Giant Forrest of Sequoia National Park in the United States. It is around 2500 years old and it has a height of 275 feet or around 83.8 meters. However, in January 2006, the biggest branch of the General Sherman tree had broke off. The breakage of the biggest branch did not change its status as the largest tree. Trunk base of the tree measures around 102 feet in circumference.

6

Pirangi Cashew Tree

The Pirangi Cashew Tree in Brazil is one of the unusual trees because it is the biggest cashew tree in the world. It appears more like a root and a bush that covers a span of 8,500 square meters of land. The tree is probably measured 300 feet by 300 feet in total. The tree appears to be a forest itself and can bear 8000 fruits in a year.

7

Tule Tree

The Tule Tree is the most famous tree in Mexico. It commonly grows near the Oaxaca City though it is rooted in the town, Santa Maria del Tule. It is not biggest or the oldest tree in the world but it has the widest girth. Its widest girth measures around 164 feet in circumference. 

8

Dragon Tree

The Dragon Tree is situated at the De Los Vinos in Tenerife of Canary Islands. This tree is believed to be between 650 to 1,500 years old. The Dragon tree got its name from the mythical story that Hercules had to bring back three golden apples from the Hesperides garden. However, the garden was guarded by a hundred headed dragon named Landon. Hercules had killed Landon and the blood that flowed out from the dragon had sprouted "dragon" trees. The tree itself has red sap when it is cut.

9

Wollemi Pine

The Wollemi Pine is another strange tree but not for its appearance but for its rich history. It is known as a “living dinosaur” and this kind of tree was nearly extinct when it was discovered in Australia in 1994. This tree is only known from the 120-million-year-old fossil and very few are in existence though conservation efforts are made.

10

Silk Cotton Trees of Ta Prohm

The Silk Cotton Trees are very unusual looking trees, which are found in the Ta Prohm Temple or also known as the Jungle Temple. The temple is situated inside the Angkor Thom complex while the Silk Cotton Trees grow in the complex ground in a very astounding way. The place was left for more than a hundred years and now that place is a part of the Angkor Archaeological Park. Visitors will see large trunks of the Silk Cotton Trees that soar high.

11

Crooked Forest

During the 1930’s, about 400 pine trees were planted in the forest of Gryfino in the Northwest Poland. Normally, pine trees grow straight but the pine trees in the forest of Gryfino grow with a similar crooked shape. The trees appear to have 90-degree curve at the trunk base. All the curves bend northward. There is no place on the earth where forest trees are bent, only here in the Crooked Forrest.

12

Baobab Prison Tree

The Baobab Prison Tree is another strange tree that is native to Australia. One of the most peculiar Baobab trees still standing today is the Western Australian Baobab Prison Tree. During the 1890’s, many Baobab trees were really used as temporary prisons because they have wide hollowed trunks. These prison trees are all throughout Australia and are common in the Wyndham region. In the Wyndham region, the Baobab trees were known as the Hillgrove Prison Trees. Based on the report from Australian National Archives, one prison tree had held 30 prisoners though some were chained outside.

13

Juniper Tree (El Arbo de la Sabina)

El Arbo de la Sabina is the name of the popular ancient Juniper tree. The word “Sabina” means Juniper in Spanish. It is also located in the El Hierro Island in Canary Islands where the Dragon Tree is also found. These trees are popular due to their constant deformity caused by the wind. Because of the wind, they get their famous and strange appearance. Actually, the trunks can stand straight but the branches droop back to the ground.

14

Jabuticaba

Jabuticaba, also known as Myrciaria cauliflora, is a tree found in Brazil. The tree appears very unusual because the fruits grow directly from the trunk and branches of the tree thus making it look like the tree is extruding oily tears. Fruits are very similar to grapes and are normally eaten whole or crushed to create wine or juice. Aside from the strange appearance of the black fruits, hairy white blossoms also appear where the fruit grows.

15

Axel Erlandson’s Circus Tree

Axel Erlandson was known for his passion in sculpting trees or also known as arborsculpture. Because of his passion to sculpt trees, he opened a horticulture attraction in 1947. The horticulture attraction is located near the Santa Cruz, California. People all over the country visited the place to see strange creations of Erlandson. One of his creations is the Circus Tree which is well-known for its various strange and amazing shapes. His another creation is known as the "Basket Tree", which is made up of 6 Sycamores that were grafted together to create a basket shape.

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