This tree looks almost real from a distance but once you get close, the leaves are obviously plastic. It came with a split in one side of the pot but I decided to keep it regardless since I was going to put a nice basket around it anyway. It's actually a pretty cool looking tree, and different looking with the twisted trunk. I put this tree in the corner of my dining room and it looks really nice. Considering what you can spend on other faux trees, I thought this tree was reasonably priced.