The Guardian Weekly

Historic Cotton Tree falls during storm in Freetown

A centuries-old tree that served as a historic symbol has been felled during a storm.

The 70-metre Ceiba pentandra

– known by Sierra Leoneans as Cotton Tree – lost all of its branches last Wednesday during torrential rains and high winds. The tree, which was in the capital, Freetown, was about 400 years old.

According to legend, formerly enslaved people who won their freedom fighting for the British in the American war of independence prayed under the tree when they arrived in west Africa.

Sudan

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2023-06-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://theguardianweekly.pressreader.com/article/281711209031082

Guardian/Observer