Moreton Bay Fig Tree (Santa Barbara, California)

Coordinates: 34°24′50″N 119°41′39″W / 34.4138°N 119.6942°W / 34.4138; -119.6942

The Moreton Bay Fig Tree in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara's Moreton Bay Fig Tree located in Santa Barbara, California is believed to be the largest Ficus macrophylla in the country^[1].

A seaman, visiting Santa Barbara In 1876, presented a seedling of an Australian Moreton Bay Fig tree to a local girl who planted it at 201 State Street. After the girl moved away a year later, her girlfriend, Adeline Crabb, transplanted the tree to the corner of Montecito and Chapala streets on land then owned by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company. The tree was officially designated as a historic landmark in 1970, and the property was deeded to the City of Santa Barbara in 1976. The tree has since been placed on the California Register of Big Trees.

In July 1997 the circumference of the tree at 4-1/2 feet above ground was 498 inches (41-1/2 feet). The average crown spread was 176 feet and the total height was 80 feet. Measured in 2010, the widest spread of the branches is 198 feet (60 m). The trunk diameter above the buttress roots is 12.5 feet^[2].

References

1. ^ Days, M. L. (1977). Histories of individual parks Santa Barbara California. Santa Barbara, CA: City Planning Committee.
2. ^ Santa Barbara Moreton Bay Fig Tree, photo album. (requires login)