For about 300 years, says Smithsonian Magazine, the Tree of Ténéré was thought to be “the most isolated tree on the planet”. The remote acacia, in Niger’s Sahara desert, was the only tree for about 250 miles – making it a useful landmark for travellers and caravans passing through. Alas, in 1973 the Tree of Ténéré came to an unfortunate end: a (probably drunk) driver smashed into it, snapping the trunk. The loneliest tree is now thought to be a Sitka spruce on Campbell Island in the South Pacific – its nearest arboreal neighbour is on the Auckland Islands, 137 miles away.
