Felled: The Monterey Cypress is thought to have inspired Seuss's book, The Lorax. Photo / Getty Images
Felled: The Monterey Cypress is thought to have inspired Seuss's book, The Lorax. Photo / Getty Images
A hundred-year-old cypress tree and the inspiration behind Dr Seuss' story the Lorax has been felled.
The Monterrey Cypress tree was a landmark of the Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, California, the hometown of the beloved children's author and illustrator.
According to CNN the tree came down this weekend. It is unclear what caused the tree to topple.
The cypress gained the name the 'Lorax Tree' after a children's story about a magical creature who protected a fictional tree called the Truffla.
The Cypress tree, which can be seen from Seuss's mountain-top home shares many distinctive similarities with the book's original illustrations.
The writer and illustrator who authored over sixty books was a resident of La Jolla from 1948 to his death in 1991.
Seuss was resident of La Jolla from 1948 to his death in 1991. Photo / James L. Amos, Getty Images
Theodor Seuss Geisel found success in the 60s and 70s under the pen name 'Dr Seuss'. He became famous for his instantly recognisable illustrations and quotable, non-sensical children's poetry - for which he seemed to have invented a whole dictionary of imaginary words to aid his rhyming scheme.
Among his more famous inventions were Grinches, Snoods and of course the Lorax.
Felled: The news was announced by the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department this weekend. Photo / Supplied, Twitter.com @CityofSanDiego
According to the council website of La Jolla, Seuss wrote the book in 1971 in part as a protest against developments planned to be built in the tranquil scenery.
The story of the Lorax follows the fate of the rare Truffla trees when they are threatened to be cut down to build a factory.
"Though much of the scenery in La Jolla is reminiscent of Seussian-style illustration, the trees in The Lorax are particularly notable," reads the council website.
"They belong to the fictional Truffula species in the book, but the real-life inspiration is called the Monterrey Cypress and unique to the California coast."
Seuss wrote the book in 1971 in part as a protest against developments planned near the site. Photo / Anne Cusack
While the tree survived the urban expansion of the 70s it came down over the weekend, apparently felled by natural causes.
While only the stump of the tree remains, readers of Seuss were quick to point out ironic parallels to the opening lines of his story:
And deep in the Grickle-grass, some people say, if you look deep enough you can still see, today, where the Lorax once stood just as long as it could before somebody lifted the Lorax away.
San Diego Parks and Recreation Department told CNN that the trunk will be cleared and a new tree planted in its place.
Like the fictional Truffla, the Monterrey Cypress is extremely rare and on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The Lorax was written in 1971 by the La Jolla-based author and illustrator. Photo / Getty Images
Since first being published the Lorax has become a modern day parable for wildlife conservation.
In 2012 The Lorax was made into an animation by Universal Pictures and was a surprise box-office hit.
Catch! calls the Once-ler. He lets something fall. It's a Truffula Seed. It's the last one of all! Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
