Photos show the tree Macron and Trump planted at the White House is no longer on the South Lawn

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

A yellow spot is seen where the tree planted by French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump on April 23 stood on the South Lawn of the White House on April 28, 2018.

• During the state visit last week, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump planted a tree that Macron brought as a gift from a forest in France.
• The tree had grown where US Marines fought a legendary battle during World War I.
• But on Saturday, Reuters photos show a yellow spot where the two leaders planted the tree.

The oak sapling that French President Emmanuel Macron brought from a forest in France for him and US President Donald Trump to plant on the South Lawn of the White House has apparently disappeared.

Reuters/Joshua Roberts

Trump and Macron shovel dirt onto a freshly planted oak tree as first lady Melania Trump watches on the South Lawn of the White House on April 24, 2018.

The photos of the tree-planting sparked many memes on Tuesday:

REUTERS/Steve Holland

But on Saturday, Reuters photographer Yuri Gripas captured photos that show the tree is no longer where Trump and Macron planted it:

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

A yellow spot is seen where the tree stood on the South Lawn of the White House on April 28, 2018.

Here's a closer look at the grass:

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

The Daily Mail, BBC News, and HuffPost France speculated that the tree may have been temporarily removed under federal rules since it was an imported plant.

An anonymous source from Macron's administration told HuffPost France that US Customs and Border Control requires any imported plant be inspected and undergo a period of quarantine.

Macron and Trump had planted the tree the day after Macron arrived in D.C.

Business Insider reached out to the White House for an explanation and will update this post if we hear back.