
Stumpy lives again.
Clones of the scraggly, beloved cherry blossom tree felled two years ago in the nation’s capital have flowered for the first time this spring, reaching what federal officials described Wednesday as a “pinnacle achievement.”
The U.S. National Arboretum said in a statement that the plant material used to propagate the Yoshino cherry clones was collected in the summer of 2024. It was one of thousands that line the banks of the Tidal Basin reservoir between the Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials.
The new trees are healthy and have put on substantial growth since forming their own root systems, according to the statement. They will remain at a non-public research area until the National Park Service can replant them, perhaps as soon as next spring, the arboretum said.
“It is our hope that the story and spirit of these trees will inspire future generations of cherry tree enthusiasts around the world — deepening cultural connections for years to come,” Richard Olsen, the arboretum’s director, said in a statement included in the release.
Stumpy sat on the banks of the Tidal Basin, near the National Mall. The tree rose to fame in 2020, with a viral Reddit post saying the tree was as dead as the user’s love life — but he still loved it.
With a hollow interior trunk, Stumpy was among 158 trees felled in 2024 as part of a project aimed at shoring up a sea wall near the National Mall.
Speaking to NBC News on the eve of Stumpy’s passing, a tourist compared the tree to the ugly duckling.
“It’s by itself, and it just stands out,” she said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LATEST POSTS
- 1
How to watch NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts launch to the moon on April 1 - 2
Wizz CEO: We’re going to invest $1 b. in Israeli market - 3
Vote in favor of Your #1 sort of pie - 4
Scientists uncover an ant assassination scheme that helps a parasitic queen rise to power - 5
The biggest black hole breakthroughs of 2025
What happened to Eleven after the ambiguous 'Stranger Things' series finale? Millie Bobby Brown knows — but 'swore herself to secrecy'
Moldova says Russian drones violated airspace
Nations for Rock Climbing
Iran plans new restrictions in overhaul of Strait of Hormuz rules
Turkiye’s Erdogan calls Israel’s Somaliland recognition ‘unacceptable’
Vote In favor of Your Favored Occasion Arranging Administration
Building Tough Connections: Individual Bits of knowledge on Association
Find the Standards of Powerful Cooperation: Accomplishing Cooperative energy and Coordinated effort
South Korea launches Earth-observation satellite on homegrown Nuri rocket













