Seven Sisters Oak facts for kids
The Seven Sisters Oak is a truly enormous and ancient southern live oak tree. You can find it in Mandeville, Louisiana, in the United States. This special tree is famous for being one of the biggest live oaks in the whole state! It's so big, in fact, that it's the current "president" of the Live Oak Society. This society keeps track of the largest and oldest live oak trees.
The tree got its original name, "Doby's Seven Sisters," because the Doby family owned the land where it grew. Mrs. Doby was one of seven sisters, which inspired the name. Later, it was simply renamed "Seven Sisters Oak."
How Big Is This Tree?
The Seven Sisters Oak is truly massive! In 2016, its trunk measured about 39.6 ft (12.1 m) around. That's like wrapping a measuring tape around it almost 40 feet! The tree stands tall at 57 ft (17 m), which is about as high as a five-story building. By 2018, its branches spread out over 153 ft (47 m) wide. Imagine how much shade it provides!
Scientists believe the Seven Sisters Oak is very old, possibly between 500 and 1,000 years old. That means it was growing long before the United States even existed!
A Tree with a Story
For a while, people wondered if the Seven Sisters Oak was actually one giant tree or several trees that had grown together. To solve this mystery, professional foresters (tree experts) examined it in 1976. They found that the tree grew from a single root system. This means it is indeed one amazing, huge tree!
The Live Oak Society keeps a list of the largest live oak trees. The Seven Sisters Oak is currently the largest one registered with the society, which is why it holds the special title of "president."
See also
- List of individual trees
