The giant fig tree in Palermo's Piazza Marina, one of Europe's largest and oldest trees, is critically ill; the cause is a fungus that has infected around half of the tree. It is not a tree like any other: it is 21 meters tall, has a trunk with a circumference of 36 meters, and was planted here 162 years ago from a cutting (that is, a detached part) taken from the ancestor of all the ficus trees grown in Sicily and, more generally, in southern Italy—namely the ficus planted in the Palermo Botanical Garden in 1845. Now, university botanists, supported by citizens, are doing all possible to save it. The fig tree in Piazza Marina is noteworthy not just for its size, but also for its age, shape, and growth habits, botanical uniqueness, plant architecture, and historical significance. For these reasons, it has been added to the list of Italian monumental trees. The list may include any tree that is a "rare example of majesty and longevity, that displays particular naturalistic value due to the rarity of the species, or that constitutes a specific reference to events or memories significant from the perspective of history, culture, documentation, or local traditions", as per the law. The ministry updates the list of monumental trees annually; there are currently 4,944 in total. In the last year, 211 new trees have been added, including a cypress from Padua, which is over 200 years old and is located in the garden of the Church of the Eremitani; a Kauri Pine from Sorrento, a rare evergreen that is approximately two centuries old; and a Bougainvillea from Menfi, in the province of Agrigento, whose 280-square-meter canopy forms a natural pergola that is among the largest in Italy.