Which tree is associated with the Buddha's enlightenment?

The tree associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment is the Bodhi tree.

The Bodhi tree is a sacred fig, Ficus religiosa, traditionally identified as the tree beneath which Siddhartha Gautama attained awakening at Bodh Gaya in present-day Bihar, India. The word bodhi means awakening or enlightenment, which is why the tree carries this name.

According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha meditated beneath the tree and resolved not to rise until he had understood the causes of suffering and the path to liberation. After attaining enlightenment, he became known as the Buddha, meaning “the Awakened One.” The site is now part of the Mahabodhi Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The original tree no longer survives, but descendants remain objects of pilgrimage. One especially famous descendant, the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, is traditionally said to have been grown from a branch carried there by Sanghamitta, a nun associated with Emperor Ashoka’s family.