White Tree of Gondor

Standing as the sign of the realm of Gondor, the White Tree of Gondor was also a motif on the flag of Gondor. Though there were many White Trees, the best grew at Minas Tirith in the Court of the Fountain.​

The White Tree of Gondor was a significant one with a tall and mighty structure and graceful form having white thin unwrinkled barks over the white stem. It held white flowers in spring and some of them turned into fruits though there is no reference to the shape or taste of the fruit. Its leaves had dark green and silver hues. It resembled Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor in style. The Elves in Valinor named Galathilion had received this image from which a sapling was taken to Celeborn.​

The history of the First White Tree goes back to the time when Isildur had stolen fruit from Nimloth, the Tree of Numenor at his own risk before it was destroyed by Sauron. [1]​

The First White Tree of Gondor blossomed from a fruit brought by Isildur. On this mission, Isildur got many wounds but when the leaf opened in the spring, all his wounds were healed. He brought the sapling to Middle Earth on the ship and planted in Minas Ithil near his residence. However, in the Second Age 3429, when Sauron returned to Middle Earth, he attacked Minas Ithil and destroyed the White Tree. Isildur took a sapling with him and escaped.​

Isildur planted the White Tree in the Third Age 2 to remember his brother Anarion in Minas Anor. This Second White Tree lived until 1636 Third Age when the Great Plague hit Gondor and killed many.​

In the Third Age 1640, the third tree was planted by King Tarondor which died with the death of Steward Belecthor II, the ruler. During the time, there existed no seedling and the tree stood there until the return of the king. It was finally replaced in 3019 Third Age and placed in the Tombs with royal treatment. Only when the line of kings ended in Gondor, the tree died completely without leaving any sapling. The tree was, however, never cut and it stood in the Court of the Fountain in Minas Tirith as a symbol of hope that the king would return someday. The hope describes the kind of existence that must die but in an ending that should lead to renewal. [2]​

Upon becoming the king, Aragorn, with Gandalf’s assistance, discovered a sapling of the White Tree when he went to the slopes of Mindolluin. He removed the dead tree from the court and put it in the Tombs of the Kings. Aragorn replaced this tree with this sapling. The tree bloomed in the Third Age 3019 in the month of June.​

According to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the sapling was not found in ‘The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King’ of 2003 by Peter Jackson. This movie shows the dead tree standing in court. In a scene, it could be seen flowering, particularly when Denethor prepares to burn himself. Again the tree was seen blossoming fully when Aragorn and Arwen got married.​