“That tree is very old. It has been here as long as I can remember — I came 74 years ago as a student and it was here then,” Chancellor Emeritus Clifton Ganus Jr said.
The tree Ganus is referring to is located next to the bell tower and is known to students as the “pregnant tree” due to its resemblance to a pregnant woman. The tree is very tall and has a large mass on the side of its trunk that some students, like junior Tanner Sharp, refer to as the “baby bump.”
It is easy to see how students could make a correlation between the mass and a pregnant woman’s stomach.
While some students view the mass as a “baby bump,” according to Ron Doran, professor of biology at Harding, the “bump” is actually cancer.
“That growth is called a burl,” Doran said. “It is tree cancer. The cells have grown wild and are growing in all different ways.”
According to Doran, the tree cancer is not always harmful to the tree and the tree could continue to grow. He also said the burl is prized by woodworkers for its intricate grain patterns. Burl sellers online are asking for hundreds of dollars for their burls, which can be formed into many things, from the dashboard of a car to a bowl.
A fixture on Harding’s campus, the “pregnant tree” has permeated the Harding culture. The tree is such a part of Harding, in fact, that it was included in the 2013 Impact’s scavenger hunt. Over the years, a myth has developed about the tree. Sophomore Jillian Romero recounted when she first heard of the “pregnant tree” myth.
“They told us if we touch it, it will make us pregnant,” Romero said.
The validity of the “pregnant tree” myth is uncertain, however, students said it does not matter if the myth is true or not. Many students said they like having the tree on campus. Senior Thomas Stafford said the tree is comical and is a staple of Harding. Ganus said the knot has been getting bigger and bigger over the years he has spent on campus.
Though it might be alarming to some that the “pregnant tree” has cancer, it is not devastating news because the tree has survived this long without any intervention.
