- Who
- Menara, yellow meranti, Shorea faguetiana
- What
- 98.53 metre(s)
- Where
- Malaysia ()
- When
The world's tallest living hardwood tree is a specimen of yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) located in Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, which on 6 January 2019 was climbed by Unding Jami of the Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Partnership and measured by direct tape-drop to be 98.53 m (323 ft 3.1 in) tall. This is the average of two measurements as is standard practice when a tree is growing on uneven ground: 100.80 m (330 ft 8.5 in) tall to the low point of ground and 96.26 m (315 ft 9.8 in) to the high point of ground. The tree has been named Menara, the Malay word for "tower".
Menara was first discovered in 2018 using an airborne Light Detection and Ranging Survey. After this, Menara was measured via 3D modelling and, later on 6 January 2019, it was climbed by Unding Jami to be measured by tape drop. Menara is estimated to weigh around 81.5 tonnes (90 US tons), excluding its roots. It is believed that just 5% of its aboveground mass comes from its 40-m-wide (131-ft) crown; the other 95% is comprised of its trunk.
Menara claimed the title of world’s tallest hardwood tree (and angiosperm) from an Australian mountain ash, or swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans) known as Centurion, located in Tasmania, Australia. In 2014, it had a tape-drop height of 99.82 m (327 ft 5.9 in) as measured by Steve Sillett. However, in late 2022, it was confirmed that its top had broken off, reducing its height to 96 m (314 ft 11.5 in). This now makes it the second-tallest tree in Australia: in first place is another Australian mountain ash named Icarus Dream located in the Styx Valley, near New Norfolk in Tasmania, at 97 m (318 ft 2.9 in) tall, though its topmost section is known to be dead.
The tallest living tree overall is not an angiosperm but a gymnosperm (vascular plants that lack flowers and fruit): the superlative specimen of Sequoia sempervirens, nicknamed Hyperion, is located in Redwood National Park in California, USA. The coast redwood, a type of conifer known for its lofty stature, was discovered by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor (both USA) on 25 August 2006 and, as of 2019, it stands 116.07 m (380 ft 9.7 in) tall.
