The Birnam Oak is an example of Sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ) at Birnam, Perth and Kinross, Scotland (grid reference NO032421 ). Sometimes known as Macbeth's Oak, as it is a relic of Birnam Wood, mentioned in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth , the tree is found in a strip of woodland on the south bank of the River Tay. [1] The trunk is 5.5 metres (18 ft) wide and its large spreading branches have latterly been supported on a number of struts to prevent them from collapsing under their own weight. [2] The exact age is unknown, but the girth suggests an age of around 600 years old which would mean it was already a mature tree at the time of Shakespeare's presumed visit to Perthshire in 1589. [3] The tree is listed by Forestry and Land Scotland as one of Scotland's most famous oak trees. [4]
