The oldest tree in Paris was planted in 1601, before the Mayflower sailed. Jean Robin, herbalist to King Henri IV, raised it from seed sent from the Appalachians by the English naturalist John Tradescant. The entire genus Robinia was later named after him. The tree stands in a small square facing Notre-Dame, which had already stood for centuries when the sapling went into the ground. It has since lived through the Commune, lost its crown to a German shell in the First World War, and watched the cathedral burn in 2019. Concrete props now hold up its heaviest branches and ivy hides much of the trunk, but it still flowers every spring. Parisians walk past it daily without a glance. It is protected by a low fence and a plaque that undersells it considerably. In 2021 National Geographic profiled it as a lesson in urban resilience, four centuries of city life absorbed by one imported American tree.
In bloom
late May, when it still flowers despite the concrete props holding up its heaviest branches
The line is our estimate of how much there is to see, not a measurement. Typical for this species where this tree stands; exact weeks shift with the year.
Square Rene-Viviani, 25 Quai de Montebello, 75005 ParisYou can recognise it by the concrete props under its heaviest branches and the ivy over most of the trunk, inside a low fence. It stands in Square Rene-Viviani, facing Notre-Dame across the quay.
Free, public square, open daily
Saint-Michel Notre-Dame (RER B/C, Metro 4), 3 min walk
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
- In the official register: Arbres remarquables de Paris (Ville de Paris), no. 124358
- fr.wikipedia.org
- atlasobscura.com
- nationalgeographic.com
- Ville de Paris, Direction des Espaces Verts et de l'Environnement, remarkable trees of Paris, no. 124358