Big trees in the Vanderbilt Arboretum
What’s a big tree?
What does it mean to be a “big” tree? The Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý list use a point system based on three charactistics that make a tree “big”: the circumference in inches + the height in feet + 1/4 the average crown spread in feet.
The biggest trees
Based on this kind of “score”, the library’s willow oak (2-1030) has a slight edge in the contest for largest tree on campus. However, the margin of error in measurement is great enough that there is essentially a tie.
- One champion is the , which stands in front of Godchaux Hall. It is well known to those who walk from Peabody to Main Campus across the 21st Ave.S. bridge. It is one of the tallest trees on campus.
- The other is the  is in the Divinity School courtyard.
Another contender was formerly part of a multi-way tie, but is now smaller than the other two:
- If you park in the Wesley Place garage and walk to main campus, you pass the . It is on your left as you ascend the steps up to Library Lawn. [Note in 2018: this tree lost one of it’s major branches in a big crash that destroyed the railing of the stairs below. It has not been re-measured, but the loss of this branch has probably reduced its crown spread to the point where it is no longer tied for first place.]
Seeing the big trees
´¡Ìý is available.
About this list
The primary criterion for inclusion in this list is that the tree has a diameter of 1 meter (40 inches) or more. The list also includes individual trees that are the largest known examples of their species, regardless of their diameter. Those trees are listed on bold type. If the tree has a web page, it is linked to the tree’s ID code. To see the location of the tree, click on the “location” link. In cases where the tree is near a road, Google Street View can be used to view the tree.
The list below includes many of the largest trees on campus, and will be extended as more trees are measured. In particular, there are probably some large hackberries that need to be added. We are still collecting data on the height and crown spread and will update the list as we obtain that information. The list is ordered by points where available; otherwise the trees are listed in order of diameter.
A more extensive public database is at .
If you interested in knowing how old the trees might be, seeÂ
| ID code | species | dia. (cm) | dia. (in.) | height (m) | height (ft.) | ave. crown spread (m) | ave. crown spread (ft.) | points* | location | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quercus phellos(willow oak) | 135 | 53 | 31.7 | 104** | 29.3 | 96 | 295 | |||
| Quercus macrocarpa(bur oak) | 149 | 59 | 25 | 82 | 30 | 98 | 291 | the Bicentennial Oak | ||
| Celtis laevigata(sugarberry) | 146 | 57 | 28.5 | 94 | 21 | 69 | 291 | |||
| Quercus falcata(southern red oak) | 132 | 52 | 32 | 105 | 27.5 | 90 | 291 | |||
| Ulmus americana(American elm) | 125 | 49 | 31 | 102 | 30 | 98 | 281 | |||
| Quercus phellos (willow oak) | 154 | 61 | 23 | 75 | 18 | 59 | 281 | |||
| Quercus phellos (willow oak) | 117 | 46 | 32 | 105 | 26 | 85 | 271 | |||
| Quercus shumardii(Shumard oak) | 128 | 50 | 27 | 89 | 28 | 92 | 270 | |||
| Quercus alba (white oak) | 117 | 46 | 28 | 92 | 34.5 | 113 | 265 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern magnolia) | 134.5 | 53 | 25 | 82 | 17.8 | 58 | 263 | second magnolia north of entry walk | ||
| Celtis laevigata(sugarberry) | 123 | 48 | 29 | 95 | 17.5 | 57 | 262 | |||
| Quercus rubra (red oak) | 118 | 46 | 29.5 | 97 | 20.5 | 67 | 260 | |||
| Quercus imbricaria(shingle oak) | 114 | 45 | 30.2 | 99** | 20 | 66 | 256 | |||
| Celtis laevigata(sugarberry) | 126 | 50 | 22 | 72 | 27.8 | 91 | 251 | |||
| Quercus palustris (pin oak) | 113 | 44 | 27.5 | 90 | 22.5 | 84 | 251 | |||
| Fraxinus americana(white ash) | 111 | 44 | 28 | 92 | 24.5 | 80 | 249 | |||
| Liriodendron tulipifera(tulip tree) | 118 | 46 | 26*** | 86 | 21 | 69 | 249 | |||
| Quercus rubra (red oak) | 115.5 | 46 | 26 | 85 | 24 | 79 | 248 | located on USN property but included for historical reasons | ||
| Celtis laevigata(sugarberry) | 131 | 52 | 20 | 66 | 22.5 | 74 | 246 | |||
| Quercus rubra (red oak) | 106 | 42 | 28 | 92*** | 26 | 85 | 245 | |||
| Populus deltoides(eastern cottonwood) | 110 | 43 | 27 | 89 | 20 | 66 | 241 | |||
| Quercus shumardii(Shumard oak) | 104 | 41 | 27 | 90*** | 25.5 | 84 | 239 | Big Al’s twin | ||
| Tilia americana(American basswood) | 124.5 | 49 | 21 | 69 | 19.3 | 63 | 239 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 122.5 | 48 | 22.5 | 74 | 15 | 49 | 238 | |||
| Quercus nigra (water oak) | 120 | 47 | 20.5 | 67 | 21.8 | 71 | 234 | |||
| Platanus occidentalis(American sycamore) | 103 | 41 | 25 | 82 | 27.5 | 90 | 232 | |||
| Platanus occidentalis(American sycamore) | 94 | 37 | 27 | 89 | 29 | 95 | 229 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 120 | 47 | 20 | 66 | 17.5 | 57 | 228 | |||
| Maclura pomifera(Osage orange) | 124 | 49 | 17 | 56 | 20.8 | 68 | 226 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 114 | 45 | 21 | 69 | 18.5 | 61 | 225 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 118 | 46 | 20 | 66 | 16.5 | 54 | 225 | has second 59 cm diameter stem | ||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 109 | 43 | 22 | 72*** | 19 | 62 | 223 | |||
| Ulmus serotina(September elm) | 83 | 33 | 28.6 | 94** | 20.5 | 67 | 218 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 110 | 43 | 18.5 | 61 | 18 | 58 | 211 | |||
| Catalpa speciosa(northern catalpa) | 111 | 44 | 18 | 60*** | 16 | 52 | 211 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 109 | 43 | 18.5 | 61 | 16 | 52 | 209 | trunk splits just above measured height | ||
| 2-1002 | Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 106 | 42 | 19 | 62 | 17 | 57 | 208 | Trunk splits into two at head height. | |
| Ginkgo bilobaÌý(²µ¾±²Ô°ì²µ´Ç) | 100 | 39 | 18 | 59 | 23.5 | 77 | 202 | “Galloway’s ginkgo” | ||
| 2-461 | Magnolia grandiflora(southern Magnolia) | 107 | 42 | 15 | 49 | 15 | 50 | 194 | ||
| Quercus muhlenbergii (chinkapin oak) | 97 | 38 | 14*** | 44 | 22.5 | 74 | 183 | |||
| Quercus velutina (black oak) | 115 | 45 | only black oak on campus | |||||||
| Quercus phellos (willow oak) | 106 | 42 | ||||||||
| Quercus rubra (red oak) | 105 | 41 | ||||||||
| Liriodendron tulipifera(tulip tree) | 104 | 41 | ||||||||
| Quercus nigra (water oak) | 101 | 40 | ||||||||
| Quercus alba (white oak) | 100.5 | 40 | ||||||||
| Carya illinoinensis(pecan) | 98 | 39 | ||||||||
| Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) | 83 | 33 | mistagged as Ulmus serotina | |||||||
| Sophora japonica(Chinese scholar tree) | 75.5 | 30 | 20*** | 64 | 16 | 52 | 171 | former state champion | ||
| Fraxinus pennsylvanica(green ash) | 74 | 29 | ||||||||
| Juglans nigra (black walnut) | 72 | 28 | 18*** | 58 | 19 | 62 | 163 | |||
| Magnolia grandiflora(southern magnolia) | 58 | 23 | 19 | 62 | 17.8 | 58 | 149 | Trunk splits three ways just below breast height; would be over 200 points if measured below the split. | ||
| Zelkova serrata(Japanese zelkova) | 60 | 24 | state champion tree, planted by Bishop McTyeire | |||||||
| Aesculus glabra (Ohio buckeye) | 54.5 | 21 | former state champion tree | |||||||
| Aesculus flava (yellow buckeye) | 51 | 21 | ||||||||
| Magnolia virginiana(sweetbay) | 34 | 13 | former state champion tree | |||||||
| Cornus florida(dogwood) | 32 | 12 | 6.6 | 22 | 8.9 | 29 | 68 | This tree is probably over 100 years old. |
* Points are calculated according to the criteria used in the : the circumference in inches + the height in feet + 1/4 the average crown spread in feet.
**Â Measured in feet by the Civil Engineering CE-161 class in April 2014.
***Â Measured students from the Vanderbilt School for Science and Math. Measured value has asterisks.
Except as noted, English values are rounded conversions of the SI units. The diameter measurements should be quite accurate. The height and crown spread measurements are crude estimates and will hopefully be improved over time. Therefore, differences among trees of only a few points are probably not significant due to measurement error.