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Stories about 12 Trees

Stories about 12 Trees

“12 months, 12 trees, 12 stories” is the new initiative by CENN.

Join us, share a story of an interesting tree that you know by sending it to us at info@cenn.org.

THE LAST BUXUS COLCHICAS OF THE EAST, Babaneuri Natural Reserve, Kakheti - A few groups of box-trees, Buxus colchica, have survived in Kakheti, this is the easternmost reach of the species. Further eastwards, none of this species occurs any more. Kakheti is not considered a natural habitat of the Buxus colchica, and the small forests within larger forests suggest that there were once churches here, and that box-trees were planted in their vicinity. Later, when these places became deserted, the box-trees continued as wild forests. Prior to the arrival of Christianity in Georgia, the box tree, along with yew-trees and the Georgian oak-tree, were treated as sacred trees and worshipped by our ancestors. Accordingly, it is very likely that box-trees were planted near houses of worship

THE FRATERNITY OF BATSARA YEW-TREES, Batsara Valley, Kakheti - Batsara Valley, situated in the upper reaches of the River Alazani is the realm of living relicts yew-trees dating back to the Paleogene. There are around 220,000 yew-trees in the valley, many of which are more than 1,000 years old. They are presided over by a 1,800-year-old patriarch tree, which proudly overlooks the valley. The yew is an honoured tree and in the past has been regarded as sacred, along with the box-tree and the Georgian oak. The Georgian name of the tree Utkhovari (უთხოვარი), meaning something one cannot ask for, gives evidence of its value. There is a story that once, a group of merchants asked Queen Tamar to sell the trees (whose red bark was used in shipbuilding). Tamar denied the request, proclaiming, ‘Let nobody ask me to give them this tree’.

THE LINDEN ON THE TREASURE, Village Jgilati, Imereti - In an old churchyard in the village of Jgilati, there is an enormous linden, which, as locals claim, dates back to the 18th century. Back then, the armies of the Ottoman Turks pillaged and ravaged villages, taking many treasures from churches. In 1758, an Ottoman Sultan enraged by his defeat at the battle of Khresili, raided Imereti twice. Clergymen and laymen hid the church treasure and their own wealth in a large pit, and planted a linden tree in the soil to cover it. A large battle against the Ottoman Turks took place near the linden tree, where many warriors fell. This is proved by the many human remains found in the vicinity. According to the stories, the treasure remains under the linden to this day. The linden tree, however, with its strong roots keeps standing steadily and shares its secret with no one.

THE HEROIC SYCAMORE TREE, Tbilisi - Twenty-five years ago, Rustaveli Avenue was the central scene of a fratricidal war which people prefer not to mention nowadays. A sycamore tree on Rustaveli Avenue was a silent witness to this war. If you look closely at it, you will see an artillery shell stuck deeply into the trunk. Two decades ago people in Tbilisi used to say that the shell was active and could explode at any time. There was always the expectation of an explosion in the years of fear. The shell has now been disarmed, but just like history cannot be overwritten, the shell cannot be put back into the cannon. The heroic sycamore on Rustaveli Avenue, standing where it did, took the bullet and blocked an attack, saving who knows how many lives.

THE BEAUTIFUL HOMESTEAD WITH THE MAGNOLIA , Chkhorotsku, Samegrelo Region - There is a magnolia tree in Papava’s homestead, in the town of Chkhorotsku, planted 200 years ago by their ancestors. The magnolia is so large that it takes three people to embrace it. Its powerful roots have ruined a two-storey house standing in the yard. The owners of the house refused to cut down the wonderful tree planted by their ancestors. According to the oldest lady of the family, it did not even occur to them to cut down the tree when they noticed the roots of the magnolia destroying their house. Instead, they decided to build a new house. There are now two houses standing in the yard; within one resides the magnolia, and in the other, at a safe distance, the family lives.

THE ANCIENT CHESTNUT TREE OF TASHISKARI, Village Tashiskari, Shida Kartli Region - In the yard of what used to be Tashiskari boarding-house, not far from the railway station at Kvishkheti, next to the railway line lies a chestnut tree which is almost 600 years old. The Village of Tashiskari was once the site of a great victory. On 16 June 1609, the small Kingdom of Kartli, under the military leadership of Giorgi Saakadze, defeated an army of Ottoman Turks and Crimean Tatars which greatly outnumbered its own. The story goes that Giorgi Saakadze, exhausted after the battle, took rest below this very chestnut tree. Though back in that time the tree was not yet even a hundred years old, the history of Georgia was being written on its branches and in its bark.

HEALING EUCALYPTS AT THE SEASIDE, Batumi, Adjara AR. - The largest specimens of eucalypts in Georgia are found at the seaside in Batumi. The trees are as high as 60 metres, while the diameter of their stems can be two meters. Apart from the seaside, mature specimens of eucalypts are found on Bagrationi Street, in Khelvachauri Settlement, at the Mantashev Pass and the Green Cape. Plantation of eucalypts along the Georgian seaside took place during the 80s of the 19th century. The main purpose of their import and proliferation was in swamp drainage and the fight against malaria. Poet, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Prussian Emperor Heinrich the Sixth, and, according to one theory, even Alexander the Great, were all killed by this disease. Along the Black Sea coast of Georgia, eucalypts not only served the function of swamp drainage, but also that of healing.

A GATHERING IN THE SHADE OF HACKBERRIES, Village Tibaani, Kakheti Region - In the old days, village gatherings–called soploba–played an important role in the villages of Kiziki. A village messenger informed everybody of the gatherings, urging them to attend. At least one person from every family was expected at every meeting. In the Village of Tibaani, the soploba was held in the shade of the hackberries, and presided over by a village elder. A village penman recorded the minutes of the meetings. Current issues in the village were discussed, such as, election of a village elder, division of a family, disputes between families, land distribution, village improvement, security, when to start of ploughing, planting, reaping, and mowing crops, winemaking, as well as establishment and collection of taxes. The old hackberries of Tibaani have stood witness to these gatherings throughout the decades.

THE GUARD OF TELIANI VALLEY, Village Tsinandal, Kakheti Region - Tsinandali is known far and wide for the magnificent Chavchavadze Palace and its fascinating garden. Only a few, however, know about the towering 900-year-old Georgian oak which lies within Tsinandali Garden. It extends its branches towards the skies, up to 33 metres in height, and its trunk measures three metres around. The story goes that this oak tree was planted by local peasants back during the reign of King Demetre, son of David the Builder. The purpose of the tree was to mark the end of the vineyards, as the oak marked the exact point where the legendary Teliani Valley came to an end. There have been 900 vintages since the oak tree was planted, 900 times the grapes have been stomped. Generations have come and gone but the oak tree has remained, and may even take offence if you call it an old one. Indeed, who has ever seen an old one, who is 900 years old?

THE SECRET OF THE SIBERIAN LARCH, Village Lesichine, Samegrelo Region - The Siberian larch was probably brought to the Village of Lesichine after the Soviet annexation of Georgia. Larch alley used to serve as a windbreak for tea plantations belonging to state owned farms back in the Soviet times. The story goes that the person who had planted these trees was sent to prison in Siberia (or was executed) for purposefully withering the trees. The larch is the only coniferous tree whose needles turn red and yellow in autumn and then fall to the ground.

A BEAR’S FAVOURITE PEAR, Village Shkhivana, Racha Region - At the beginning of 20th century, a resident of the Village of Shkhivana tasted a wild pear while hunting in the wood. He liked it a lot, and though the pear tree grew in a plain in the middle of a forest that was quite far from the village, the man often visited the place to treat himself to one of its pears as sweet as honey. The story goes that once, during one of such visit, when darkness fell, the man noticed a bear that also had a sweet tooth. After this, the man left the tree alone, but instead decided to plant one of the wild pears in his own yard. Today, a 100-year-old wild pear tree stands in a remote yard, in an almost deserted village. Old men say that in winter time, a bear occasionally comes into the yard, to have a pear.

THE TREE OF THE SCIENTISTS’ GARDEN, Tbilisi - If you’ve ever walked in the yard of the first building of Tbilisi State University, you must have noticed the bust of Ivane Javakhishvili, but probably you have not noticed standing there as well, a zelkova, a famous Georgian tree endemic to the region. In photos of the construction of the university building, it can clearly be seen that there was not a single tree in sight. The university garden was cultivated later, with a few rare trees planted over the years. Some of the trees growing in the garden, including the zelkova tree, have stood in the garden since the beginning, witnessing all the rectors and famous scientists to step through the university’s gates