Places, Earth
Morton Bay Fig Tree

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Morton Bay Fig Tree

In Santa Barbara, at the corner of Montecito and Chapala, just a few steps from the railroad station, grows what my be the largest tree of its kind in America. A visiting sailor gave a seedling of a Moreton Bay Fig Tree (Ficus macrophylla), an Australian tree, to girl who planted it at 201 State Street in 1876. When the girl moved away a year later, her friend Adeline Crabb transplanted the tree on land then owned by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1877.

In 1991, the branch spread was measured at 167 feet with a total height of 76 feet. The trunk diameter above the buttress roots was 12.5 feet. In 1997, the crown spread was measured at 176 feet with a total height of 76 feet. The trunk circumference at 4 1/2 feet above the ground was 41 1/2 feet (498 inches) and the tree was a total of 80 feet high.

To protect the tree and visitors, the tree is surrounded by a fence.

The tree was officially designated as a historic landmark in 1970 and the property was deeded to the City of Santa Barbara in 1976.

Full tree. Photo Date: 9-26-04.

Leaves. Photo Date: 9-26-04.

Trunk. Photo Date: 9-26-04.

Branches. Photo Date: 9-26-04.

Limb. Photo Date: 9-26-04.

More images here.

Photo Date: -04.

Santa Barbara County Main Page

This page last updated: Wednesday, 24-Oct-2007 18:25:42 EDT

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Places, Earth Morton Bay Fig Tree

Morton Bay Fig Tree

This page last updated: Wednesday, 24-Oct-2007 18:25:42 EDT

Places, Earth
Morton Bay Fig Tree