Nareepol Tree: Real or Fake?

Photographs have been circulating for years of an alleged Nareepol Tree, a tree which supposedly produces a woman-shaped fruit.  Is this tree real or fake?

It is Fake.

The Nareepol Tree is purportedly a tree whose fruit resembles an intricately detailed woman. Not surprisingly, the Nareepol Tree is certainly a hoax. Claims about the Nareepol Tree, which include a set of pictures, have been circulating via email and social media since at least early 2008. One version of the hoax claims that the Nareepol Tree grows in the Petchaboon province of Thailand, while another adaptation offers similar claims about a plant called Naarilatha which is said to blossom once every two decades in Thailand, Sri Lanka, or the Himalayas.

According to an article on the Nareepol Tree from the Hoax or Fact website, “naree” translates to “girl/woman” while “pol” means “plant/tree” in the Malay language. Thus, “nareepol” can be interpreted as “woman tree” or “fruit woman”. In addition, they point out that “nareepol” are a form of legendary beings mentioned in Thai mythology and sacred texts.

Nareepol Tree Anomalies

Although many websites repeat claims about the Nareepol Tree and the Naarilatha plant, there is a surprising lack of credible information for such astounding allegations. Debunking site Hoax Slayer, who first covered claims about the Nareepol Tree on April 1st of 2008, points out a number of logical anomalies that establish the best evidence for a hoax. Consider their following observations:

• When claims of the Nareepol Tree first circulated, only one set of Nareepol Tree photographs existed. If such a tree were real, one would think that many pictures would be available for viewing online. Instead, only one series of snapshots can be found.
• The perfectly woman-shaped fruit of the Nareepol Tree looks unnatural. In fact, the fruit appears to be an assortment of artificial figures that have been suspended from a real tree.
• Despite such an amazing claim, reliable information on the Nareepol Tree is exceptionally lacking.

These are very excellent and agreeable points which indicate the Nareepol Tree is assuredly a hoax. A Google search for information on the Nareepol Tree and the Narrilatha plant reveals nothing but results from websites that repeat the original hoaxed claims or a handful of debunking websites. One would think that such an astonishing tree would be listed on respected websites devoted to horticulture and tourism, yet there is nothing.

History

The Google Trends chart below shows that interest in the subject began around April 2008, and has maintained a relatively steady interest ever since. The lack of any searches prior to that date only confirms that the tree has only existed as a rumor since around that time. Were the tree real, one would expect to find searches dating back to the beginning of the timeline, which is not the case.

Bottom Line

The Nareepol Tree and the Naarilatha Plant are a hoax. Images of the tree were concocted using manufactured effigies of women. No believable or trustworthy information can be found which confirms the reality of this tree, and no searches were performed on Google regarding this tree until 2008.

Updated July 15, 2015
Originally published December 2014