Queens Giant
Encyclopedia
The Queens Giant is an old Tulip Poplar
(Liriodendron tulipifera) located in Alley Pond Park
in the borough
of Queens
, New York City
. It is the tallest carefully measured tree
in New York City. It is also probably the oldest living thing in the New York metropolitan area. , the tree measures 133.8 feet (40.8 m) tall and is probably 350-400 (and possibly as many as 450) years old.
The Queens Giant is situated north of the Long Island Expressway, west of the Cross-Island Parkway, hidden within a grove. The tree is just visible to westbound vehicles on the Expressway, but without going to the tree itself, the chances of knowing where to look are slight. The tree is near the Douglaston Plaza Mall, and is accessible by foot from Alley Pond Park. There are no signs to it, perhaps because many people want to keep it a secret and protect it from harm. One way to see it is with an Urban Park Ranger tour.
There have been rumors about it for years; its existence was only verified around 2000. A tree in Staten Island
, known as the Clove Lake Colossus, has rivaled the Queens Giant for a long time. The Clove Lake Colossus has a more massive trunk, but it is only 119 feet (36.3 m) tall. The Queens Giant is surrounded by a metal fence on all sides to protect it. There is also a sign describing the tree. The tree is partially protected by a hill in front of it.
Liriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...
(Liriodendron tulipifera) located in Alley Pond Park
Alley Pond Park
Alley Pond Park is the second-largest public park in Queens, New York. It occupies , most of it acquired and cleared by the city in 1929, as authorized by a resolution of the New York City Board of Estimate in 1927. The park is bordered to the east by Douglaston, to the west by Bayside, to the...
in the borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It is the tallest carefully measured tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
in New York City. It is also probably the oldest living thing in the New York metropolitan area. , the tree measures 133.8 feet (40.8 m) tall and is probably 350-400 (and possibly as many as 450) years old.
The Queens Giant is situated north of the Long Island Expressway, west of the Cross-Island Parkway, hidden within a grove. The tree is just visible to westbound vehicles on the Expressway, but without going to the tree itself, the chances of knowing where to look are slight. The tree is near the Douglaston Plaza Mall, and is accessible by foot from Alley Pond Park. There are no signs to it, perhaps because many people want to keep it a secret and protect it from harm. One way to see it is with an Urban Park Ranger tour.
There have been rumors about it for years; its existence was only verified around 2000. A tree in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, known as the Clove Lake Colossus, has rivaled the Queens Giant for a long time. The Clove Lake Colossus has a more massive trunk, but it is only 119 feet (36.3 m) tall. The Queens Giant is surrounded by a metal fence on all sides to protect it. There is also a sign describing the tree. The tree is partially protected by a hill in front of it.
External links
- "A Rendezvous With 2 Giants", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, November 10, 2000. - "In Obscurity, The Tallest And Oldest New Yorker", The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, March 27, 2004. - Sierra Activist.org: Article about the Queens Giant
- Arborist.de: The Queens Giant