Grow a tree
Tap to grow a level, hold to keep growing. Four sliders decide what kind of tree it becomes. Grow it all the way and a Himalayan monal comes to sit in it.
The Dancing Deodar
Tap to grow. Hold to keep growing.
For the curious
0 of 9122.2.78.0Every branch splits into 2 smaller copies of itself, 78% as long and 22° apart. That one rule, repeated 0 times, is the whole tree. Real trees, ferns, rivers and lungs grow the same way.
What is Grow a Tree?
A free online toy where you grow a tree from a seed. Tap and it grows a level; hold and it keeps going. Four sliders decide what kind of tree it is: how wide the branches spread, whether each one splits in two or three, how much smaller each generation gets, and whether the whole tree leans. Change the season and the leaves change with it. Grow it all the way and a Himalayan monal flies in to sit in it. No download, no sign-up, works on a phone.
How to grow a tree
- 01
Tap
Each tap grows one level. Hold your finger down and the tree keeps growing on its own. The dots at the bottom show how far it has come.
- 02
Shape it
Pick a seed packet, or move the Spread, Branches, Shrink and Twist sliders. The tree re-grows instantly with the new shape.
- 03
Keep it
Save my tree downloads a picture, with the bird if you earned it. Copy link sends the exact tree to a friend.
Seed packets
Six trees a child in the hills would know, plus a fern. Each one opens fully grown, with its bird.
The bird
The Himalayan monal is the state bird of Uttarakhand and the bird Monal Digital is named after: a pheasant with a crest and nine colours in its feathers, found in the forests above Haldwani. It does not come to a sapling. Grow the tree to its full height and it will arrive.
Questions
Is Grow a Tree free?
Yes. No account, no advertising, nothing to install. It runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer.
How do I get the bird?
Grow the tree to its full height: nine levels for a two-way tree, eight for a three-way one. Tap to grow one level at a time, or hold to keep growing. When the tree is full, a Himalayan monal, the bird Monal Digital is named after, flies in and perches on it.
Why is a tree a fractal?
Because every branch is a smaller copy of the whole tree: it splits the same way, at the same angle, into branches that shrink by the same amount. Repeat that rule nine times and you have thousands of branches from four numbers. Ferns, rivers, lightning and the blood vessels in your lungs grow by the same kind of rule.
Can I share my tree?
Yes. Copy link gives you an address that carries the tree's four numbers, its season and how far it has grown, so a friend sees exactly your tree, bird included.
Is it safe for children?
Yes. It collects nothing, shows no ads and has no chat. The only things it makes are pictures.