White House tree planted by Presidents Trump, Macron mysteriously vanishes

The sapling tree was planted by the presidents last week during a state visit.

ByJesse Convertino
April 30, 2018, 6:28 AM

Something of a mystery has taken root at the White House -- an oak tree sapling, planted by President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, has gone missing.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shovel dirt onto a freshly planted oak tree as first lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron watch on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2018.
President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shovel dirt onto a freshly planted oak tree as first lady Melania Trump and Brigitte Macron watch on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2018.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters

The sapling was a gift from the French president during last week's ballyhooed state visit.

PHOTO: A yellow spot is seen where the tree planted by French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump on April 23 stood on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
A yellow spot is seen where the tree planted by French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump on April 23 stood on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Washington media flocked to the South Lawn Monday to snap photos and shout questions as the two heads of state ceremoniously shoveled soil on the budding tree.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron plant a tree at the South Lawn of the White House on April 23, 2018 which mysteriously disappeared on April 28, 2018.
(L-R) First lady Melania Trump, second from right, and Brigitte Macron, second from left, watch as President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron participate in a tree planting ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2018. | An empty area where a tree was planted by President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during a tree planting ceremony is seen through the media van window on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
AP

But now, less than a week later, recent photos show an off-color, pale patch of turf where the sapling once stood.

PHOTO: A yellow spot is seen where the tree planted by French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump on April 23 stood on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
A yellow spot is seen where the tree planted by French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump on April 23 stood on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
Yuri Gripas/Reuters

The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. An official from France's presidential office told Reuters the tree, imported from France's Belleau Wood forest, needed to be quarantined in order to prevent the spread of parasites and it would return in the near future.

PHOTO: An empty area where a tree was planted by President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during a tree planting ceremony is seen through the media van window on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018.
An empty area where a tree was planted by President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron during a tree planting ceremony is seen through the media van window on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 28, 2018. The young ceremonial tree was planted next to the light pole.
Carolyn Kaster/AP

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