Tree of life with humans as the crown or the development of species in all directions? Bredekamp examines Darwin's theory of evolution and its imagery. The name Charles Darwin is inextricably linked in the public consciousness with the theory of the struggle for survival among species. What is less known are the scruples that accompanied the formation of this principle. This also applies to the tree model of evolution, which dominates the ideas about species development and fits too well into the social Darwinist notions of the 19th century. However, for Darwin, this tree model was just one way to visually represent the evolutionary process. Among his alternatives was the coral as a symbol of the entire development of nature. Bredekamp reconstructs the history of meaning of the coral and shows how Darwin wove this traditional symbol into his considerations: as a model.