TREE FACTS
TULE TREE

TULE TREE
TAXODIUM MUCRONATUM

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The Tule Tree is an ahuehuete found in Oaxaca Mexico, located in the municipality of Santa María del Tule, about twenty minutes by car from the state capital. Also known as River Cypress, this specimen is over 42 meters high and 2,000 years old.

Ahuehuetes are perennial trees, this means that like pines, eucalyptus and birch, they do not lose their foliage in any season of the year. The leaves of this towering tree usually measure about two centimeters long, by approximately two millimeters wide. They are arranged in a spiral, in two horizontal rows, their pinnae are oval and can measure two centimeters long. As for its seeds, they are small and measure between 8 and 9 mm thick respectively, they are triangular in shape, reddish or dark brown in color and are produced throughout the year. Its bark is strong and rough and due to its qualities, if it is damaged it will regenerate quickly.

These trees are native to Mexico, the United States and Guatemala; the taxodium mucronatum has an average height of 18 to 25 meters, however, some can measure up to 40 meters. The Oaxacan tree is an exceptional case due to its dimensions, since it also exceeds 58 meters wide, thus, holding the Guinness Record as the largest living tree in the world. The youngest specimens can grow up to 70 centimeters in a period of eight months, while the oldest ones have a slower development.

With a volume of 705 cubic meters and a weight of more than 509,020 kilograms, the Tule Tree requires tens of liters of water daily, which is why an underground well was created in this region, which provides water through from its roots to this majestic tree. In general, the ahuehuetes, when growing near areas bordering rivers and lakes, are constantly nourished by this element.

The ahuehuete is recognized in Mexico as the national tree and has had great relevance for the Aztec and Zapotec cultures throughout history. In these Mesoamerican cultures, we find a relationship with Taxodium mucronatum and water, hence its name in Nahuatl which translates to "old man of water".