The gnarltree was a species of tree that could be found growing on Dagobah, which is a planet located within the Outer Rim Territories. These trees thrived in swampy environments and were characterized by their large and twisted root systems. It was common to find Dagobah pythons in and around these roots. Furthermore, bogwings frequently built their nests within the trees, and creatures such as dragonsnakes and scrange often took refuge among the gnarltree's roots.
A grove of gnarltrees
During Jedi Grand Master Yoda's exile on Dagobah, when he needed to construct a more permanent dwelling, he selected a knoll at the base of a large gnarltree, situated near a dark lagoon, as the site for his new hut. Additionally, he utilized wattles crafted from the roots of gnarltrees as a construction material.
Gnarltrees initiated their life cycle as delicate, light-colored shoots, eventually growing to such a magnitude that their roots formed natural, cave-like spaces. Furthermore, knobby white spiders were known to inhabit and grow within these trees.
The gnarltrees made their debut in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, which was the second film released in the original trilogy of the Star Wars saga. The earliest rendition of what would eventually become the gnarltrees was sketched by conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, drawing inspiration from the massive banyan trees commonly found in real-world swamps.
When production designer Norman Reynolds was assigned the task of creating these trees for the Dagobah forest set, he opted to base their design on trees located in the swamps of Nigeria. Reynolds started by building tubular steel skeletons for the trees, then shaped them using wire mesh and textured them with plaster. The completed trees reached heights of forty feet, with circumferences of up to ten feet. Each individual prop was treated as a separate set, and Reynolds ensured he considered how each tree would have been affected after standing exposed in the swampy environment of Dagobah for thousands of years.