Menara (tree)

Menara is the name of a yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) tree who have been found in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, in Sabah on the island of Borneo. It's was measured at 100.8 m (331 ft), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tropical tree[1][2][3] and tallest tree in Asian continent. The team which is working with Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), has named the tree “Menara”, which is in Malay language for tower.

Menara tree was discovered in August 2018, then on January 6th, 2019 Unding Jami climbed and measured its exact height with a tape measure what would eventually be announced as the tallest tree in the tropics and probably one of the tallest trees left standing in the world. A research team scanned the tree with a terrestrial laser scanner and drone flights to produce a 3D model [4]. Menara is likely the tallest flowering plant in the world, as it's taller than the previous record holder a Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania that may be 100.5 m tall.

If not counting its roots, Menara weighs nearly 81,500 kilograms. But just 5% of its mass comes from its 40 meter-wide crown. The other 95% is in its trunk. Moreover, the stem is extremely straight, with its center of mass at 28 m above the ground, which is just 0.6 m off from its central vertical axis. This indicates that the tree is highly symmetrical and well-balanced, even though it's sitting on a slope[1].