Before the Inwir left Valinor Palurien gave them a seed, and said that it must be guarded,
for great tidings would one day come of its growth. But it was forgotten, and cast in the garden of Gilfanon,
and a mighty pine arose that reached to Ilwë and the stars ...

(The Book of Lost Tales II: VI. The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales)

Tolkien's favourite tree in the Botanical Gardens, Oxford: an ancient black pine too magnificent to be represented in a single picture.

tree photos taken September 18, 2007; photos of Tolkien probably taken in the 1960s, origin unknown
(original picture size: 600x800. download to view in that size)