--- description: The tree that is thought to have inspired Dr. Seuss to write The Lorax has fallen and we're going to need some more Truffula seeds, stat! title: Tree That Apparently Inspired Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Falls image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d42e2e16f2736be/698768b4e53aba25a44d5e95/danny-devito-07.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'A Tree Falls the Way It Leans.' Tree That Appeared to Inspire Dr. Seuss' _The Lorax_ Falls  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jun 17, 2019 4:57 PM CUT  DeVito's top-grossing film? The Lorax (2012), which grossed nearly $350 at the global box office. DeVito's top-grossing film? The Lorax (2012), which grossed nearly $350 at the global box office.Universal  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jun 17, 2019 4:57 PM CUT The [tree](https://time.com/4754395/arbor-day-history/ "undefined") that is thought to have inspired [Dr. Seuss](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,899723,00.html "undefined") to write [_The Lorax_](http://ideas.time.com/2011/11/24/the-lorax-redux/ "undefined") has fallen and we’re going to need some more Truffula seeds, stat! The tree, a Monterey Cypress at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, California, stood throughout the 43 years that Seuss lived in a mountaintop home overlooking the park. It was estimated to be about 80 to 100 years old, Tim Graham, a spokesman for the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, told [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/16/us/lorax-tree-falls-trnd/index.html "undefined"). City officials are [reportedly](https://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Iconic-Lorax-Tree-topples-over-in-California-511341971.html "undefined") looking into planting a replacement tree in the area. > [](https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1140408767349252098) “Though much of the scenery in La Jolla is reminiscent of Seussian-style illustration, the trees in _The Lorax_ are particularly notable,” the [La Jolla city website](https://www.lajolla.com/article/dr-seuss-la-jolla/ "undefined") notes. “They belong to the fictional Truffula species in the book, but the real-life inspiration is called the Monterey Cypress and unique to the California coast.” Seuss published _The Lorax_, a children’s book about the importance of being environmentally conscious, in 1971\. He lived in La Jolla from 1948 until his death in 1991. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5608303/tree-that-inspired-the-lorax-falls/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5608303/tree-that-inspired-the-lorax-falls/"},"headline":"'A Tree Falls the Way It Leans.' Tree That Appeared to Inspire Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Falls","datePublished":"2019-06-17T16:57:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:13.821Z","description":"The real-life version of a Truffula tree is the Monterey Cypress","url":"https://time.com/5608303/tree-that-inspired-the-lorax-falls/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Books","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d42e2e16f2736be/698768b4e53aba25a44d5e95/danny-devito-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d42e2e16f2736be/698768b4e53aba25a44d5e95/danny-devito-07.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MCDDRSE EC032","caption":"MCDDRSE EC032","creditText":"Universal","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5608303/tree-that-inspired-the-lorax-falls/","name":"'A Tree Falls the Way It Leans.' Tree That Appeared to Inspire Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Falls"}}]}] ```