Belated Arbor Day event honors Queens oldest living thing: a 400-year-old ‘giant’

Tulip trees can be identified by ling straight trunks and bright flowers when in bloom. Photo via BebopPete/Wikimedia Commons

By Rachel Vick

A 17th Century sapling grew into a towering “giant” in Alley Pond Park. It just took about four centuries.

Queens’ 400-year-old tulip tree, nicknamed the Alley Pond Giant, received a special commemoration from the Parks Department Tuesday, when rangers live-streamed a belated Arbor Day celebration from under the old tree’s branch canopy

A lady doesn’t reveal her true age, and the giant has never officially been tested, but the tree — measured at 133.8 feet tall in 2000 — is testament to the history of Queens that will likely outlive us all. 

The Giant was a newborn in the 1600s, according to Parks, and has stood sentry during the spectrum of colonization, development and growth of borough. The tree was even around during George Washington’s tour of Long Island in 1790, according to New York City Park rangers.
Tulip trees are native to the area, and can be identified by their leaves, which typically have four points and resemble — you guessed it a tulip. The Lenape tribe native to the region called the trees mùxulhemënshi and often used their trunks for canoes.