Acacia Tenere - the loneliest tree on our planet

Sometimes nature offers riddles that even modern science has difficulty answering. One of them can be considered the Tenere acacia, which grew in the desert of the same name in Nigeria. This is the only tree for hundreds of kilometers around, and for many years it has been the object of study by biologists from different countries. Alas, a unique tree from an African country became the victim of an absurd accident involving humans.

Tenere, translated from the language of the Tuaregs living in these parts, means “separate place.” And this is putting it mildly, because the desert, with an area of 1,300 square kilometers, is a table-flat area covered with hot sand. Major roads bypass this harsh region and only one highway crosses it, connecting two cities - Agadez and Bilma.

Acacia, rising in the middle of the desert, has long served as a landmark for caravans. Seeing the tree, people shouted: “Tafagag!”, which means “acacia.” This meant that they were on the right course, although a long and difficult path still lay ahead of them. Scientists discovered a lone acacia tree in 1930. They named it the Tenere tree, after the place where it grew.

Researchers studied the acacia and determined that its root system is about 300 years old. But everything that rises above the ground is younger. Scientists admitted that the trunk could change up to 3 times, that is, the Tenere tree for some reason was destroyed, and the root system gave new shoots.

How the tree grew in the scorched desert remained a mystery for a long time. Local residents said that once upon a time the god of lightning and thunder, Adobe, turned one obstinate young man into an acacia tree. But scientists have found a more plausible explanation. After excavating around the trunk, they found traces of ancient human settlements and something else.

Under the layer of sand were hidden stone arrowheads, axes and bones of giraffes, antelopes and even hippopotamuses. All these living creatures inhabited the area at a time when Tenere was not yet a desert. There used to be a lake here, surrounded by lush vegetation. All this disappeared relatively recently - several centuries ago. Most likely, acacia is the remnants of former luxury.

The desert advanced and over time swallowed up this flourishing region. The lake was filled with sand, people and animals left, the vegetation died. But the persistent acacia remained. She managed to reach with her roots the groundwater that once fed the lake. Now the water here lies at a depth of 33-36 meters.

After scientists made this discovery, two wells were dug near the Tenere tree. The acacia tree has become not just a landmark, but also a place where you can rest and replenish your water supplies. True, this did not benefit the tree. In 1959, African explorer Henri Lot visited the site and noted that the acacia was in poor condition. Probably, when people camped near it, they cut down branches to light fires. There were also rumors that a military truck had crashed into the Tenere tree.

Whether this is true or not is difficult to say. Although it was the truck that caused the death of the tree. In 1973, a drunken Libyan driving a car tore down an old acacia tree. The Tenere trunk was transported to the National Museum of Nigeria in Niamey. It was placed on a pedestal in a specially built pavilion. And in the place where the phenomenon grew, a metal monument in the form of a tree was erected.

There have always been a lot of rumors and exaggerations around the Tenere acacia. They said that there was not a single tree around for 400 km. But that's not true. 150 km away is the Timia oasis with vegetation and ponds. Yes, there are other representatives of the flora in the world, growing alone in the desert.

The most famous is Shajarat al-Hayat or the “tree of life” in the sands of Bahrain. It belongs to the Prosopis family and is at least 400 years old. It’s just that it is not as far away from other trees and human habitation as Tenere, so it did not receive the title of “the loneliest”.

Unfortunately, people often destroy unique trees, and often do it intentionally. This is exactly the fate that befell the white maple in Britain, which was called the “Robin Hood tree.”