The tree-like beings in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings are called Ents.
Ents are ancient shepherds of trees who live primarily in Fangorn Forest. Their name comes from an Old English word meaning “giant,” and Tolkien’s depiction draws on the long tradition of talking trees and nature spirits in European mythology.
The best-known Ent is Treebeard, whose name in Tolkien’s invented language is Fangorn. Merry and Pippin meet him after escaping from the Uruk-hai, and their account of Saruman’s destruction of forests helps persuade the Ents to march on Isengard.
Ents are not ordinary trees that have simply come alive. They are a distinct people with their own language, slow deliberation, and ancient history. Tolkien also describes the loss of the Entwives, whose whereabouts remain unknown, which explains why the Ents fear that their kind may not survive.