Usually elder is a shrub, so its tree-like shape is a unique sight. What is also special about the Polish entry is that the tree grows in the city centre, in the middle of a housing estate.
The tree is believed to be the remnant of a park that once belonged to the aristocratic Lubomirski family.
The contest, which was launched in 2011, does not focus on beauty, size or age but rather on each tree's story and its connection to people.
An online vote (at www.treeoftheyear.org) runs until the end of the month.
The results of the contest will be announced at a ceremony in Brussels on March 17.
In 2017, a Polish oak—nicknamed Józef (Joseph) and growing in the village of Wiśniowa in the southeast of the country—was voted European Tree of the Year.
(mk/gs)