I have wondered this thing also.
Not exactly “are they real or are they figurative”, but more like “what is the nature of the trees and the fruit, and why did God put them there”.
When I get to Heaven I mean to ask Him.
Until then I guess the question will just remain an unanswered question to ponder.
The knowledge of good and evil is one thing that separates man from lower forms of life. A lion may kill a man but it doesn’t hate him and what it does is not evil. But if you murder that same man, you’re doing evil.
A great mystery but, as with everything else in God’s creation, there is reason and purpose behind it.
And at the same time, you can kill a man and not hate or be a murderer.