What is the fig tree?
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It represents Isreal.
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First White Tree of Minas Ithil\nPlanted by Isilur in the Second age
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The Baobab tree, which is among the largest and longest living trees on earth, is also one of its most unusual and remarkable trees. A native of Africa, it has flourished for thousands of years in the arid savannah close to the equator. The tree, which can grow up to 30 metres in height, has a very strange appearance. It has an enormous, thick bulbous trunk and stunted branches that look like gnarled roots spreading wide. The branches are bare for nine months of the year, since the tree puts out leaves only twice a year, for a few weeks at a time when the rains come to the plains. Thus, the Baobab tree, for most of the time, looks as if it has been pulled out of the ground and stuffed back in upside down! \n\nThe tree's unusual appearance has given rise to many interesting folktales about its origins. African Bushmen have a legend that tells of the God Thora who took a dislike to the Baobab growing in his garden. He tossed it over the wall of paradise to Earth below, and although it landed upside down, it continued to grow! Another folk tale says that the Baobab was amongst the first trees to appear on Earth. When the palm tree, the flame tree and the fig tree appeared, the Baobab began to grumble that it wanted to be taller, to have brilliant flame coloured flowers, and bear tasty fruit too. The Gods grew angry at this incessant wailing and pulled up the tree by its roots, and replanted in upside down to keep it quiet! \n\nThere are only three months of rain in a year. So the Baobab spreads its roots wide and collects as much rainwater as it can. Then it stores the water in its bark and lower trunk for use during the dry months. Bushmen, and even elephants wandering through the desert extract water from pulpy fibre when there is drought. \n\nThe leaves of this tree resemble an outstretched hand with open fingers. Its large flowers are white and bell-shaped, and open only at night. The tree produces an edible, gourd like fruit called "monkey bread", which is a favourite with baboons. This fruit has the highest concentration of vitamin C of any plant. \n\nThe Baobab is a friendly, nurturing tree and creates it own eco-system as its supports the life of countless creatures from the largest of mammals to the thousands of tiny creatures scurrying in and out of its numerous crevices. Baobabs may live up to 3000 years! There are trees alive today that were growing when the Roman Empire ruled Europe! Baobabs are very difficult to kill. Even when burnt, they will form new bark, and keep on growing. When they do die, they simply rot from the inside, and suddenly collapse, leaving only a heap of fibres. These majestic trees are revered by the people who live with them. In Africa, old Baobabs are given names, and each name begins with the word "mother", for in the tough savannah grasslands, the great Baobab is a mother of life, symbolising endurance, conservation, creativity and ingenuity.
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The Book of Enoch 31:4, purporting to be written by the antediluvian prophet Enoch, describes the tree of knowledge as follows:\n\n"It was like a species of the tamarind tree, bearing fruit which resembled grapes extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance. I exclaimed, How beautiful is this tree, and how delightful is its appearance!" \nIn western art, the fruit is most commonly depicted as an apple. One possible reason for this arises from a medieval pun. It was a source of humor to monks that the Latin term for evil (malus) was similar to the word of apple (malum). Thus it was often said that by eating the malum (apple), Eve contracted malus (evil). There is, however, no textual or historical evidence by which to argue the literalness of this image.\n\nJewish thought contains additional options. Rabbi Meir says: "The fruit of (the Tree of Knowledge of Good-and-Evil) was a grape..."; Rabbi Nechemia says: "It was a fig..."; Rabbi Yehuda says: "It was wheat..." Talmud, Brachot 40a\n\nThe reason it is sometimes surmised to have been a fig is that they used fig leaves to cover themself after eating it, either because the leaves were nearby, or because God creates the cure before the illness, and the same tree that caused the problem is also used to remedy it. Another explanation lies within the "fruit" of the fig tree, the fig itself, which is not actually a fruit but rather a flower of sorts, serving as the tree's genitalia. It is said that when they bit into the fig, they saw that what appeared to be a fruit on the outside had concealed the reproductive organs within itself. Adam and Eve then looked at each other and felt ashamed that their reproductive organs were simply exposed, and covered them with the large leaves from the same tree. Some commentators hold that it might have been a grape, and that Eve actually made, and drank, wine.\n\nEthno-botanists have proposed the iboga plant (Tabernanthe iboga) as the Tree of Knowledge. The ground up bark contains a dissociative substance, ibogaine, which has been traditionally used in Bwiti religious ceremony in Central Africa. Other hallucinogens, in particular the Fly agaric mushroom, have also been proposed as the Tree.\n\nChristian sects like the Coptics of Jamaica, and other peoples of faith, especially the Rastafarians believe it to be the Marijuana plant.
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For one thing, the Old Testament prophets often performed symbolic acts to gain attention and convey their message. Jeremiah, for instance, was ordered to break a potter's flask in Israel's sight, as a symbol of how God will smash Israel (Jeremiah 19). \n\nThe Hebrew Scriptures often use figs or the fig tree as a symbol of Israel. In Hosea, for example, we find God saying, "Like grapes in the desert, I found Israel. Like the first fruits of the fig tree in its prime, I considered your fathers" (Hosea 9:10). \n\nFinally, we should put the Gospel incident back in context. Mark's story of the fig tree is sandwiched around his account of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple. \n\nIt is interesting to note that when Matthew tells of Jesus cursing the fig tree he omits the fact figs were not yet in season. Admittedly, this is a bothersome detail and something of a distraction. But it should not lead us away from the point. Whatever is to be said about figs being in season, Jesus wants to teach a lesson in the here and now. He can't wait around for two or three months until the fig crop is due! \n\nThe point, then, for the apostles is the fruitlessness of the Temple worship and piety at Jesus' time. Like the fig tree's abundance of green leaves, the activities of the Temple give the impression of religious vitality, but the Temple worship is barren. \n\nFrom a distance it appeared to be fruitful, but on close examination, it proved fuitless. The reality was different from appearance. This fig tree was in that context symbolic of Jerusalem, the center of Jewish nation. From a distance Jerusalem gave the impression of a fruitful people, but on close examination, they proved fruitless. \n\nJust like a fruitless tree, a fruitless people also will be removed from God's garden. \n\nRead the parable of the unfaithful stewards aong with this.
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Most of the conifers have a huge number of leaves. The leaves are small and needle shaped or scale like so a large number can be packed by nature in a small space.Example are \nPines,Cedars,Junipers and Xmas tree.
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a dead tree. a tree that was already cut
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It's a Pagan tradition.\nThe original one is to touch a tree.\nIt's like... wishing upon a tree.\nRemember that most pagan religions are based on the powers of nature and the earth as a Goddess.\nTrees are magic.
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the good ol amercan way with gifts and a tree
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Good frickin question. Let me know where I can find the trees!
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It's a fruit, product of a tree!
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The tree of knowledge, which contained fruit of some kind with a serpent wrapped around it's branches. That's how I'd know it was refering to the garden of eden.
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It could be the banyon.  I'm a botanist, and know my trees, but common names are elusive.
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could be used to refer to both vines and trees (although I have never heard to term used)\nVines: this would apply to twining vines (not to ones that climb by tendrils)\nTrees: would only apply to trees that begin life as seedlings in the branches of other trees and then pout out roots that eventually strangle the host tree -- strangler figs are the best known of these.
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Specifically, "The world's tallest tree is a redwood tree growing in the Montgomery State Reserve on the outskirts of Ukiah, a city north of San Francisco, California. At 367.5 feet above the ground, the 'Mendocino Tree' has been authenticated the tallest tree by the Guinness Book of World Records."
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Well, the baobab tree comes closest to your description, and is often called the upside down tree.
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I am really not 100% sure. My sister has done some research, and according to her the folklore is more of a Native American tradition (thought she cant remember for sure) and it has something to do with the Aspen containing a spirit similar to an animal. That when a branch falls off, the tree "bleeds". when it is healed it looks similar to an eye, with which the spirit in the tree can see out. That the spirits can watch and actually see you. I tried researching this in European traditions including the White Poplar and came up with nothing, so I am inclined to believe that she has a decent summarized recollection of the folklore.