One of Longwood Gardens’ signature trees, a yellow cucumber magnolia that was 195 years old and once deemed the tallest of its kind nationwide, has been taken down by a strong wind, writes Anthony Wood for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 85-foot-tall tree fell on April 30 around noon and landed several feet away from the historic Peirce-du Pont House. At that time, a gust of 46 miles per hour was reported from Philadelphia International Airport. No one was injured from the fall, perhaps due in part to Longwood being closed to visitors because of the pandemic.

The tree species was first discovered by a French explorer in South Carolina. The cucumber magnolia was bought by members of the family that originally owned the property, and they eventually sold it to Pierre S. du Pont.

However, this is not the end of the species in Longwood Gardens. Twelve years ago, three propagules of the now-fallen tree were planted near the Sylvan Fountain by the Orchard at Longwood.

Longwood spokesperson Patricia Evans said that the popular attraction currently has around 10,000 trees.

Read more about Longwood Gardens in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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