The bark of a tree...

This is a section of a British tree with a controversial history…
Its seeds were imported from America in the 1850s  -  and the huge trees which resulted were named Wellingtonia by the British Horticultural Society.
So named to honour the Duke of Wellington, who had just died, it sparked a row.
The seeds were those of the huge sequoias found in California - and American tree experts accused Britain of being very cheeky (to say the least) re-naming its iconic giant tree after the Iron Duke.
It was finally re-named to appease American horticulturists’ annoyance, but is still commonly known here as Wellingtonia (or Wellington pine).
The interest for me is that there is one of these massive sequoias on the edge of my garden..!