Tree of the knowledge of good and evil

In the Bible, theTree of Knowledgewas one of two trees in the middle of the garden of Eden, from which God forebade humans to eat. The other was the tree of life. When humans did eat from the tree, after being tempted by a serpent, they became knowledgable of their sin, and were punished by God for their disobedience. The Tree of knowledge is commonly portrayed in art and literature as an apple tree, for lack of an accurate description.