Rize’s 70‑Year‑Old Giant Tea Tree Awaits Monument Status

A tea tree in Yanıkdağ village, Çayeli district of Rize Province, Turkey, has grown for about 70 years without pruning, reaching 5 metres in height and a trunk diameter of 70 cm. Researchers from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, led by Prof. Dr. Turan Yüksek, say it is one of only two such trees identified in the region and represents a living record of the area’s climatic history and a valuable genetic resource for tea cultivation.

The tree’s owner, Hasan Bekir, inherited the plant from his father Ali Bekir and wishes to have it officially registered as a protected monument. Local residents support the move, seeing the tree as a potential centre for ecotourism, photography and cultural events. Scientific studies of the tree’s ecology and soil have been completed and are being prepared for publication, reinforcing calls for its preservation and inclusion in regional landscape planning.