Walking Tree Wins New Zealand’s Best Plant Award

WELLINGTON – In the midst of the glitz of Hollywood awards season, New Zealand have just announced the winners of their own prestigious competition and the winners seem to be born from a Tolkien story.

It was the northern rātā, one of New Zealand’s tallest flowering trees, that was named Tree of the Year.

As reported by IFL Science, Tuesday (11/6/2024), towering majestically, this tree has a unique characteristic: its separate twin trunks make it look like it is walking – complete with imaginary high heels.

Although there are no descriptions of Ents in Tolkien’s works wearing high heels, the unique appearance of this northern rātā has led to it being nicknamed the “Walking Tree”, due to its resemblance to the tree-like lifeform from The Lord of the Rings.

However, unlike Ents who protect other plants, northern rātā is not very friendly towards other trees. This tree begins its life as an epiphyte, living on top of other trees.
Even though it does not take nutrients from its host (which would make it a parasite), the roots of the northern rātā will continue to spread downward and envelop its host.

This process is believed to be the cause of the unusual branching trunk shape of this winning tree. “The host tree is no longer there. Maybe the tree used to be very large, or maybe another tree fell and hit the host tree, so the roots split close to the ground and made it look like it was walking,” explained Brad Cadwallader from the New Zealand Arboricultural Association ( NZ Arb), competition organizers, told Radio New Zealand.

Just like Treebeard, the leader of the Ents in Tolkien’s novel, the northern rātā also has extraordinary life potential, up to 1,000 years. The exact age of this winning tree is unknown, but it nearly became extinct 150 years ago when the area, near Karamea on the South Island, was cleared for farming.

“The family that lived on the land at the time apparently thought it was special because they let it live,” Cadwallader said.

The specialty of this tree seems to still be preserved today, as evidenced by its victory in this competition with 42 percent of the vote. Although the other finalists also have their own unique qualities and charms, many of them are popular because of their appearance and connection to the local community.

“The Walking Tree is a prime example of the extraordinary trees we as New Zealanders are lucky to have,” said Richie Hill, president of NZ Arb, in a statement.

“This award recognizes the important role trees play in our communities, not only in enhancing the local environment but also providing a sense of place for past, present and future generations.”

(wbs)