List of oldest trees

Last updated

Pando, a colony of quaking aspen, is one of the oldest-known clonal trees. Recent estimates of its age range up to 14,000 years old. It is located in Utah, United States. FallPando02.jpg
Pando, a colony of quaking aspen, is one of the oldest-known clonal trees. Recent estimates of its age range up to 14,000 years old. It is located in Utah, United States.

This is a list of the oldest-known trees, as reported in reliable sources. Definitions of what constitutes an individual tree vary. In addition, tree ages are derived from a variety of sources, including documented "tree-ring" (dendrochronological) count core samples, and from estimates. For these reasons, this article presents three lists of "oldest trees," each using varying criteria.

Contents

There are three tables of trees, which are listed by age and species. The first table includes trees for which a minimum age has been directly determined, either through counting or cross-referencing tree rings or through radiocarbon dating. Many of these trees may be even older than their listed ages, but the oldest wood in the tree has rotted away. For some old trees, so much of the center is missing that their age cannot be directly determined. Instead, estimates are made based on the tree's size and presumed growth rate. The second table includes trees with these estimated ages. The last table lists clonal colonies in which no individual tree trunks may be remarkably old but in which the organism as a whole is thought to be very old.

The current record-holders for individual, non-clonal trees are the Great Basin bristlecone pine trees from California and Nevada, in the United States. Through tree-ring cross-referencing, they have been shown to be almost five millennia old. [1]

A clonal colony can survive for much longer than an individual tree. A colony of 48,000 quaking aspen trees (nicknamed Pando), covering 106 acres (43 ha) in the Fishlake National Forest of Utah, is considered one of the oldest and largest organisms in the world. Recent estimates set the colony's age at several thousand (up to 14,000) years, although tree ring samples date individual stems at rarely more than 130 years. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] A colony of Huon pine trees covering 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) on Mount Read (Tasmania) is estimated to be around 10,000 years old, as determined by DNA samples taken from pollen collected from the sediment of a nearby lake. Individual trees in this group date to no more than 4,000 years old, as determined by tree ring samples. [7]

Trees with verified ages

NameAge
(years)		Year GerminatedSpeciesLocationCountryNotes
Prometheus
(WPN-114)		4,900+ 2,900+ BCE Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		 Wheeler Peak, Nevada United States Cut down by Donald Rusk Currey in 1964. [8]
Methuselah 4,855 [nb 1] 2,832 BCE Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		 White Mountains (California) United States It is the oldest known living (non-clonal) tree in the world. [10]
Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo 3,653–5,484 1,630+ BCE Patagonian cypress
Fitzroya cupressoides		 Cordillera Pelada, Los Ríos Chile Alive. [10] [11] New unconfirmed estimation of 5,484 years would make it the oldest (non-clonal) tree in the world. [12] Located within Alerce Costero National Park. [13]
CBR263,266 1,245 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		 Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [10]
D-213,220 1,199 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		 Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [10]
D-233,075 1,054 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		 Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [10]
CMC 33,033 1,012 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		 Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [10]
Scofield Juniper2,675 654 BCE Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis [14] 		Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [10]
BLK2272,649 626 BCE Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum		Three Sisters Cove, Black River (North Carolina) United States [15]
CB-90-112,466 443 BCE Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine
Pinus aristata		Central Colorado United States [10] [16]
Panke Baobab2,419 398 BCE African baobab
Adansonia digitata		Matabeleland North Zimbabwe Died in 2011; the oldest non-clonal angiosperm ever documented. [17]
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi 2,310 287 BCE Sacred fig
Ficus religiosa		 Anuradhapura, North Central Province Sri Lanka A sapling claimed to be from the Bodhi tree, the legendary tree under which the Buddha is said to have become enlightened. It was brought to its current location and planted at around 288 BCE by Sanghamitra, daughter of Emperor Ashoka. It is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. [18]
 ?2,230 209 BCE Qilian juniper
Juniperus przewalskii		 Delingha, Qinghai Province China [10]
 ?2,200 179 BCE Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens		Northern California United States Dead. [10]
Bennett Juniper 2,200 179 BCE Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis [14] 		Sierra Nevada, California United States [10]
SHP 72,110 89 BCE Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana		 Sierra Nevada California United States [10]
BLK2322,089 68 BCE Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum		Three Sisters Cove, Black River (North Carolina) United States [15]
 ?1,950 74 Subalpine larch
Larix lyallii		 Kananaskis, Alberta Canada [10] [19]
CRE 1751,889 133 Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum		Northern New Mexico United States [10]
Miles Juniper1,835 189 Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis[ citation needed ]		 Sierra Nevada, California United States [10] [20]
Jōmon Sugi 1,812 212 Sugi
Cryptomeria japonica		 Yakushima Island Japan [21]
KET 39961,726 298 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis		 Ketchum, Idaho United States [10] [22]
BFR-461,697 325 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis		 Wasatch Mountains, Utah United States [10]
FL1171,685 339 Northern whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis		 Ontario Canada [10] [23]
ERE1,670 352 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis		Northern New Mexico United States [10]
RCR 11,666 356 Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana		 Sierra Nevada, California United States [10]
 ?1,661 361 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis		 South Park (Park County, Colorado) United States [10]
BBL 21,649 373 Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana		 Sierra Nevada, California United States [10]
BCK 691,657 376 Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum		 Bladen County, North Carolina United States [10] [24]
 ?1,636 386 Nootka cypress
Callitropsis nootkatensis		 Vancouver Island Canada [10]
FL1011,567 455 Northern whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis		 Ontario Canada [10]
 ?1,542 480 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis		Central Colorado United States [10]
Italus1,236 788 Heldreich's pine
Pinus heldreichii		 Pollino National Park Italy Alive. Oldest tree in Europe with verified age (radiocarbon calibrated tree-ring procedure). [25]

Trees with estimated ages

Note: The ages of the trees in this list are speculative and only serve as estimates.

NameAge
(years)		SpeciesLocationCountryNotes
Old Tjikko 9,565
(years)		 Norway spruce
Picea abies		 Fulufjället mountain, Dalarna, Sweden Sweden
"The Sisters" or "Sisters Olive Trees of Noah"6,000 [26] Olive
Olea europaea		 Bchaaleh, North Governorate Lebanon Folk legend also ascribes The Sisters as the source of the olive branch returned to Noah's Ark at the waning of the Biblical Flood. [27] [28] [29] The trees still produce olives.
Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo 5,484 Patagonian cypress
Fitzroya cupressoides }		 Cordillera Pelada, Los Ríos Chile A new 2022 estimation of 5,484 years expands on a previous minimum age based on incomplete tree rings of 3,653. [12] [13]
 ? [nb 2] 5,075 Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		 White Mountains (California) United States Tree cored by Edmund Schulman, age determined by Tom Harlan. However, core is missing and date is unconfirmed. [10] [30]
Llangernyw Yew 4,000–5,000 Common yew
Taxus baccata 		Llangernyw, Conwy United Kingdom Girth of 10.75 m. Situated in the churchyard of St Dygain's Church in Llangernyw village, Wales. One of the 50 Great British Trees.
Sarv-e Abarkuh 4,500 Mediterranean cypress
Cupressus sempervirens		 Abarkuh, Yazd Iran Also called "Zoroastrian Sarv". [31] [32]
Gümeli Porsuğu 4,115Yew
Taxus baccata 		Zonguldak Turkey Alive, found in 2016. [33] [34]
The Ancient Yew4,000Yew
Taxus baccata		 Tisbury, Wiltshire United Kingdom 37 feet in circumference. Situated in the churchyard of St John's, Tisbury. Carbon dated by David Bellamy. [35]
The Senator 3,500 Pond cypress
Taxodium ascendens		 Longwood, Florida United States Died in January 2012 from human-caused fire. [36] [37]
Oliveira do Mouchão (KNJ1/601)3,350 European olive tree

Olea europea L. var. europaea

 Mouriscas, Abrantes Portugal Alive. [38] [39]
Great Camphor of Takeo3000+ Cinnamomum camphora
"Camphor Tree"		 Takeo, Saga Japan A large Camphor tree reputed to be over 3,000 years old. [40] Worshipped at a Shinto shrine dedicated to the tree, dating back to the 700s C.E. [41] Alive.
The President 3,200Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		 Sierra Nevada, California United States Alive.
Fortingall Yew 3,000 Common yew
Taxus baccata 		Fortingall, Perthshire United Kingdom Alive. Possibly the oldest tree in Britain. [42] [43] [ clarification needed ]
Alishan Sacred Tree3,000 Formosan cypress
Chamaecyparis formosensis		 Alishan National Scenic Area, Chiayi Taiwan Collapsed on July 1, 1997, following heavy rainstorms. [44]
S'Ozzastru3,000–4,000 Olive
Olea europaea		 Luras, Sardinia Italy [45]
Patriarca da Floresta  [ pt ]3,020Jequitibá-rosa

Cariniana legalis

Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, São Paulo Brazil Alive. Probably the oldest non-conifer in Brazil. Its name translates as "Patriarch of the Forest". Located at the Vassununga State Park. [46]
Raintree3,000 Great Basin bristlecone pine Spring Mountains, Nevada United States Great Basin Bristlecone Pine located near Kyle Canyon in the Spring Mountain range in Southern Nevada, USA. Estimated 3000 years old but never cored.
Oliveira de Santa Iria de Azóia  [ Wikidata ]2,850 Olive
Olea europaea		 Santa Iria de Azóia  [ pt ], Loures, Lisbon Portugal Magnificent Olive tree, probably the last one from a large olive grove. Studied by UTAD University and now classified "Public interest tree" by the Portuguese National Forest Authority; Tree ID [47]
Mother of the Forest 2,520Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, California United States Dead.
Sarv Zibad 2,500 Mediterranean cypress
Cupressus sempervirens		 Sarv Zibad, Khorasan Iran Also called "holly Sarv". [31] [32]
General Sherman 2,300–2,700 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, California United States Alive with a height of 83.8 meters (275 ft), a diameter of 11 m (36 ft) at its base, and an estimated bole volume of 1,487 m3 (52,513 cu ft), it is the largest known living single-stem tree, and among the tallest, widest, and longest-lived of all trees on the planet. [48] [49]
Kayano Ōsugi 2,300 Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		 Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Japan Girth of 9.6 m. One of the four trees believed to be sacred in the precincts in a Shinto shrine. Its name translates as "Great Sugi of Kayano".
Oliveira de Santa Luzia2,210 Olive
Olea europaea		 Santa Luzia, Tavira, Algarve Portugal Alive. [50]
Jōmon Sugi 2,170–7,200 Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		 Yakushima Japan Girth of 16.4 m. Exact dating is made difficult by the rotten core of the trunk. Its name is a reference to the Jōmon period of Japanese prehistory. [51] [52] [53]
Koca Katran 2,022 Lebanon cedar
Cedrus libani		 Antalya Turkey Alive. [54]
Ballyconnell Yew2,000–5,000 Yew
Taxus baccata		 Ballyconnell, Annagh Ireland Oldest tree in Ireland.[ citation needed ]
Elia Vouvon 2,000–5,000 Olive
Olea europaea		 Kolymvari, Crete Greece Its name translates as "Olive Tree of Vouves". [55]
Castagnu dê Centu Cavaddi 2,000–4,000 Sweet chestnut
Castanea sativa		 Sicily Italy Its name translates as the "Hundred Horse Chestnut".
Ulleungdo Hyangnamu2,000–3,000 Chinese juniper
Juniperus chinensis		 Ulleung-gun, Gyeongbuk South Korea Girth of 4.5 m. One of the main branch was broken in 1985 by typhoon "Brenda".
Lady Liberty 2,000 Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum		 Longwood, Florida United States Sometimes called the "Companion Tree" to 'Senator".
Tnjri2,000 Oriental plane
Platanus orientalis		 Martuni Region Artsakh (de facto) / Azerbaijan (de jure)Oldest tree in de facto Republic of Artsakh, de jure a part of Azerbaijan. Its trunk is hollow. Also known as "Sose's Tree".
Stara Maslina 2,000 Olive
Olea europaea		 Stari Bar, Bar Montenegro
The Pechanga Great Oak Tree2,000 Coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia		 Temecula, California United States Oldest oak tree in the United States, possibly in the world.
Tejo Milenario2,000+ Yew
Taxus baccata		 Cazorla, Jaén Spain Oldest tree in Spain. [56]
 ?2,000 Olive
Olea europaea		Exo Hora, Zakynthos Greece [57]
 ?2,000 Yew
Taxus		 Sochi, Krasnodar Krai Russia A grove known to possess several 2,000-year-old specimens. [58]
Houkisugi at Nakagawa 2,000 Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		Nakagawa Settlement, Yamakita, Kanagawa Japan
Methuselah1,800Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens 		Woodside, California United States [59]
Araucaria Madre1,800 Araucaria araucana Araucanía Chile Located in Parque Nacional Conguillío. 1,800 rings account for at least 1,800 years. [60]
Granit oak 1,700 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		 Granit Bulgaria
Kongeegen 1,500–2,000 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		Jægerspris Nordskov, Zealand Denmark [61]
Stelmužė Oak 1,500–2,000 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		 Stelmužė, Zarasai Lithuania Oldest tree in the Baltic states. Supposedly oldest oak in Europe.
Vilémovice Yew1,500–2,000 Common yew
Taxus baccata		 Vilémovice Czech Republic 345 cm (136 in) in circumference. [62]
Aubépines1,500 Common hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna		 Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne France Oldest tree in France. [63]
Jardine Juniper 1,500 Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum		 Logan Canyon, Utah United States [64]
Árbol del Tule 1,433–1,600 Montezuma cypress
Taxodium mucronatum		 Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca Mexico Stoutest tree trunk in the world. Its name translates as the "Tule Tree".
Baikushev's pine 1,300 Heldreich's pine
Pinus heldreichii		 Pirin Mountains Bulgaria Oldest known coniferous tree in Bulgaria. It is named after its discoverer, forest ranger Kostadin Baikushev.
Te Matua Ngahere 1,200–4,000 Kauri
Agathis australis		 Waipoua Forest, Northland New Zealand Oldest tree in New Zealand. Its name translates as "Father of the Forest".
Algarrobo Abuelo 1,200+ Algarrobo
Prosopis chilensis		 Villa de Merlo, San Luis Province Argentina Possibly oldest algarrobo in Argentina.[ citation needed ]

Clonal trees

As with all long-lived plant and fungal species, no individual part of a clonal colony is alive (in the sense of active metabolism) for more than a very small fraction of the life of the entire clone. Some clonal colonies may be fully connected via their root systems, while most are not actually interconnected, but are genetically identical clones which populated an area through vegetative reproduction. Ages for clonal colonies, often based on current growth rates, are estimates.[ citation needed ]

NameAge
(years)		SpeciesLocationCountryNotes
Antarctic Beechless than 70 million years [65] Antarctic beech
Nothofagus moorei		Repeater Station Road, Springbrook National Park, Queensland AustraliaThree individuals approximately 2000 years old are the parent trees to others in the surrounding forest; they grow clones by coppicing new shoots radially, forming a ring at the base of the parent tree trunk. [66]
Wollemi Pines60+ million years Wollemi pine
Wollemia nobilis		 Wollemi National Park, New South Wales AustraliaAccording to Cris Brack and Matthew Brookhouse at the ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society: "Once you accept that a common, genetically identical stock can define a tree, then the absolute “winner” for oldest tree (or the oldest clonal material belonging to a tree) [in Australia] must go to the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis). It may be more than 60 million years old. The Wollemi pine clones itself, forming exact genetic copies. It was thought to be extinct until a tiny remnant population was discovered in Wollemi National Park in 1994... There is also substantial evidence that the tree has been cloning itself and its unique genes ever since it disappeared from the fossil record more than 60 million years ago." [67]
Unknown43,600–130,000 King's lomatia
Lomatia tasmanica		 Southwest National Park, Tasmania Australia Lomatia tasmanica is an endangered species with only one population, consisting of several hundred genetically identical individuals. Although it flowers occasionally, fruit production has never been observed, and it propagates vegetatively. Fossilized leaves are dated as at least 43,600 years old, found in sediments with a maximum age of 130,000. [68]
Pando less than 14,000 [3] –80,000 [69] Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides		 Fishlake National Forest, Utah United States Covers 107 acres (0.43 km2) and has around 47,000 stems (aged up to 130 years), which continually die and are renewed by its roots. Is also the heaviest-known organism, weighing 6,000 tonnes.
Jurupa Oak [70] 13,000 [71] Palmer oak
Quercus palmeri		 Jurupa Mountains, California United States Quercus palmeri Engelm. = Quercus dunnii Kellogg. [71]
Old Tjikko 9,550 Norway spruce
Picea abies		 Fulufjället National Park, Dalarna Sweden The tree's stems live no more than 600 years, but its root system's age [72] [73] was established using carbon dating and genetic matching. [74] Elsewhere in the Fulu mountains, 20 spruces have been found older than 8,000 years. [75]
Old Rasmus9,500 Norway spruce
Picea abies		 Sonfjället, Härjedalen Sweden [76]
Mongarlowe mallee3,000–13,000Mongarlowe mallee
Eucalyptus recurva 		Mongarlowe, New South Wales Australia Alive. A critically endangered species, known only from 6 wild individuals, first described in the 1980s. Based on the size and growth rate of its lignotuber, the largest single specimen is estimated to be 3,000 years old. However, it is possible that two other specimens are actually the result of a split in the original rootstock, and based on their spread of 26m would be estimated at 13,000 years old, potentially the oldest single tree on earth. [77]
unknown3,000 [78] –10,000 [79] Huon pine
Lagarostrobos franklinii		 Mount Read, Tasmania Australia Several genetically identical males that have reproduced vegetatively. Although single trees in this stand may be around 3 to 4 thousand years old, the stand itself as a single organism has existed for 10,000 years. [7]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ It is uncertain when Methuselah's age was determined, but "it seems likely the tree had 4,789 rings (crossdated) in the summer of 1957". [9] The age given here is based on this reference point.
  2. ↑ Not named yet

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendrochronology</span> Method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree rings

Dendrochronology is the scientific method of dating tree rings to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmospheric conditions during different periods in history from the wood of old trees. Dendrochronology derives from the Ancient Greek dendron, meaning "tree", khronos, meaning "time", and -logia, "the study of".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristlecone pine</span> Three species of pine trees native to the Western United States

The term bristlecone pine covers three species of pine tree. All three species are long-lived and highly resilient to harsh weather and bad soils. One of the three species, Pinus longaeva, is among the longest-lived life forms on Earth. The oldest of this species is more than 4,800 years old, making it the oldest known individual of any species. Many scientists are curious as to why this tree is able to live so long. In one study, they discovered that Pinus longaeva has higher levels of telomerase activity, which further slows or prevents the attrition rate of telomeres. This potentially contributes to the extended life of the bristlecone pine.

<i>Taxus</i> Genus of conifers in the yew family Taxaceae

Taxus is a genus of coniferous trees or shrubs known as yews in the family Taxaceae. Yews occur around the globe in temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, northernmost in Norway and southernmost in the South Celebes. Some populations exist in tropical highlands.

<i>Picea abies</i> Species of plant

Picea abies, the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.

<i>Pinus longaeva</i> Long-living species of bristlecone pine tree found in the western United States

Pinus longaeva is a long-living species of bristlecone pine tree found in the higher mountains of California, Nevada, and Utah. Methuselah is a bristlecone pine that is 4,855 years old and has been credited as the oldest known living non-clonal organism on Earth. To protect it, the exact location of this tree is kept secret. In 1987, the bristlecone pine was designated one of Nevada's state trees.

<i>Pinus aristata</i> Pine tree found in North America

Pinus aristata, the Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine, is a long-living species of bristlecone pine tree native to the United States. It appears in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and northern New Mexico, with isolated populations in the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and the Kaibab National Forest north of the Grand Canyon. It is usually found at very high altitudes, from 7,000–13,000 feet (2,100–4,000 m), in cold, dry subalpine climate conditions, often at the tree line, although it also forms extensive closed-canopy stands at somewhat lower elevations.

<i>Taxus baccata</i> Species of conifer in the family Taxaceae

Taxus baccata is a species of evergreen tree in the family Taxaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe and Southern Europe, as well as Northwest Africa, northern Iran, and Southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be referred to as common yew, European yew, or in North America English yew. It is a woodland tree in its native range, and it's also grown as an ornamental tree, hedge or topiary. Most parts of the plant are poisonous, with toxins that can be absorbed through inhalation, ingestion and through the skin; consumption of even a small amount of the foliage can result in death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inyo National Forest</span> National forest in California and Nevada, United States

Inyo National Forest is a United States National Forest covering parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada of California and the White Mountains of California and Nevada. The forest hosts several superlatives, including Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States; Boundary Peak, the highest point in Nevada; and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, which protects the oldest living trees in the world. The forest, encompassing much of the Owens Valley, was established by Theodore Roosevelt as a way of sectioning off land to accommodate the Los Angeles Aqueduct project in 1907, making the Inyo National Forest one of the least wooded forests in the U.S. National Forest system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest</span> Protected area in the White Mountains, Inyo County, California

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a protected area high in the White Mountains in Inyo County in eastern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prometheus (tree)</span> Oldest known non-clonal organism

Prometheus was the oldest known non-clonal organism, a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree growing near the tree line on Wheeler Peak in eastern Nevada, United States. The tree, which was at least 4,862 years old and possibly more than 5,000, was cut down in 1964 by a graduate student and United States Forest Service personnel for research purposes. Those involved did not know of its world-record age before the cutting, and the circumstances and decision-making process remain controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortingall Yew</span> European yew tree in Perthshire, Scotland, UK

The Fortingall Yew is an ancient European yew in the churchyard of the village of Fortingall in Perthshire, Scotland. Considered one of the oldest trees in Britain, modern estimates place its age at an average of 5,000 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methuselah (pine tree)</span> Bristlecone pine tree in the White Mountains, California

Methuselah is a 4,855-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine tree growing high in the White Mountains of Inyo County in eastern California. It is recognized as the non-clonal tree with the greatest confirmed age in the world. The tree's name refers to the biblical patriarch Methuselah, who is said to have reached 969 years of age before his death, thus becoming synonymous with longevity or old age in many European languages including English.

Donald Rusk Currey was an American professor of geography. While known in academia for his extensive research and exploration of relics of the ancient Lake Bonneville in the eastern Great Basin, he was best known to the public for his controversial felling of Prometheus, the oldest living non-clonal organism known at the time, while a graduate student in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pando (tree)</span> Largest known organism

Pando, the world's largest tree, is a quaking aspen tree located in Central Utah in the Fishlake National Forest. A male clonal organism, Pando has an estimated 47,000 stems (ramets) that appear as individual trees, but are connected by a root system that spans 106 acres. Pando is the largest tree by weight and landmass and, is the largest known aspen clone. Pando was identified as a single living organism because each of its stems possesses identical genetic markers. The massive interconnected root system coordinates energy production, defense and regeneration across its expanse. Pando spans 0.63 miles by 0.43 miles of the southwestern edge of the Fishlake Basin in the Fremont River Ranger District of the Fishlake National Forest and lies 0.43 miles to the west of Fish Lake, the largest natural mountain freshwater lake in Utah. Pando is located at an elevation of 2,700 m (8,900 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negligible senescence</span> Organisms that do not exhibit evidence of biological aging

Negligible senescence is a term coined by biogerontologist Caleb Finch to denote organisms that do not exhibit evidence of biological aging (senescence), such as measurable reductions in their reproductive capability, measurable functional decline, or rising death rates with age. There are many species where scientists have seen no increase in mortality after maturity. This may mean that the lifespan of the organism is so long that researchers' subjects have not yet lived up to the time when a measure of the species' longevity can be made. Turtles, for example, were once thought to lack senescence, but more extensive observations have found evidence of decreasing fitness with age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangernyw Yew</span> One of the worlds oldest known European Yews

The Llangernyw Yew ( ) is an ancient yew in the village of Llangernyw, Conwy, Wales. The tree is fragmented and its core part has been lost, leaving several enormous offshoots. The girth of the tree at the ground level is 10.75 m (35.3 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace Yew</span> Tree in Scotland

The Wallace Yew is a tree in Elderslie, Renfrewshire in Scotland. It stands on grassland said to be near the home of medieval Scottish leader William Wallace. In legend, Wallace is said to have hidden in its branches to escape an English patrol. The tree is noted in parish records as early as the 18th century and still stands in 2019. In more recent times, it has been damaged by fire and storms and is now dying of a Ganoderma fungus infection. The Renfrewshire Council has taken cuttings of the tree to be grown as a replacement.

References

  1. ↑ Farmer, Jared (2022). Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees. Basic Books. ISBN   978-0-465-09785-2.
  2. ↑ Rogers, Paul C.; McAvoy, Darren J. (2018-10-17). "Mule deer impede Pando's recovery: Implications for aspen resilience from a single-genotype forest". PLOS ONE. 13 (10): e0203619. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1303619R. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203619 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   6192553 . PMID   30332420.
  3. 1 2 Ding, Chen; Schreiber, Stefan G.; Roberts, David R.; Hamann, Andreas; Brouard, Jean S. (2017-07-05). "Post-glacial biogeography of trembling aspen inferred from habitat models and genetic variance in quantitative traits". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 4672. Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.4672D. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04871-7. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   5498503 . PMID   28680120.
  4. ↑ Grant, Michael C. (1 October 1993). "The Trembling Giant". Discover Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  5. ↑ "Botanical Record-Breakers". W.P Armstrong. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  6. ↑ "SPECIES: Populus tremuloides". USDA - United States Forest Service. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Native Conifers of Tasmania". Paks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  8. ↑ Salzer, Matthew; Baisan, Christopher (May 13–17, 2013). Dendrochronology of the "Currey Tree". Second American Dendrochronology Conference. University of Arizona, Tucson.
  9. ↑ "Pinus longaeva". Gymnosperm Database. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 "OldList, A Database Of Old Trees". Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research. May 2019. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Lara, Antonio; Villalba, Ricardo (21 May 1993). "A 3620-Year Temperature Record from Fitzroya cupressoides Tree Rings in Southern South America". Science. 260 (5111): 1104–1106. Bibcode:1993Sci...260.1104L. doi:10.1126/science.260.5111.1104. PMID   17806339. S2CID   46397540.
  12. 1 2 "Is the world's oldest tree growing in a ravine in Chile?". Science Journal. 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Parque Nacional Alerce Costero". Conaf.cl (in Spanish). National Forest Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Juniperus grandis". Gymnosperm Database. 2020-01-17. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  15. 1 2 Stahle, D. W.; Edmondson, J. R.; Howard, I. M.; Robbins, C. R.; Griffin, R. D.; Carl, A.; Hall, C. B.; Stahle, D. K.; Torbenson, M. C. A. (May 16, 2019). "Longevity, climate sensitivity, and conservation status of wetland trees at Black River, North Carolina". Environmental Research Communications. 1 (4): 041002. Bibcode:2019ERCom...1d1002S. doi: 10.1088/2515-7620/ab0c4a .
  16. ↑ Brunstein, F. Craig; Yamaguchi, David K. (Aug 1992). "The Oldest Known Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pines (Pinus aristata Engelm.)". Arctic and Alpine Research. 24 (3): 253–256. doi:10.2307/1551666. JSTOR   1551666. S2CID   128446269.
  17. ↑ Adrian Patrut et al. (2018) The demise of the largest and oldest African baobabs. Nature Plants 4: 423–426. doi : 10.1038/s41477-018-0170-5
  18. ↑ "Oldest-known human-planted tree". Guinness world records. 2011.
  19. ↑ Worrall, John (1990). "Subalpine Larch: Oldest Trees in Canada?". The Forestry Chronicle. 66 (5): 478–479. doi: 10.5558/tfc66478-5 .
  20. ↑ Miles, D.H.; Worthington, M.J. (17–21 June 1998). "Sonora Pass junipers from California USA: construction of a 3,500-year chronology". In Stravinskiene, V.; Juknys, R. (eds.). Dendrochronology and Environmental Trends - Proceedings of the International Conference. Kaunas, Lithuania: Vytautas Magnas University Department of Environmental Sciences.
  21. ↑ Suzuki, Eizi; Tsukahara, Jun (1987). "Age structure and regeneration of old growth Cryptomeria japonica forests on Yakushima Island". Journal of Plant Research. 100 (3): 223–241. doi:10.1007/BF02492832. S2CID   25942726.
  22. ↑ Schulman, E. (1956). Dendroclimatic Changes in Semiarid America. Tucson: Univ. of Ariz. Press.
  23. ↑ Larson, D. W.; Kelly, P. E. (1991). "The extent of old-growth Thuja occidentalis on cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment". Canadian Journal of Botany. 69 (7): 1628–1636. doi:10.1139/b91-206.
  24. ↑ Stahle, D. W.; Cleaveland, M. K.; Hehr, J. G. (10 June 1988). "North Carolina Climate Changes Reconstructed from Tree Rings: A.D. 372 to 1985". Science. 240 (4858): 1517–1519. Bibcode:1988Sci...240.1517S. doi:10.1126/science.240.4858.1517. PMID   17798982. S2CID   20004819.
  25. ↑ Piovesan, Gianluca; Biondi, Franco; Baliva, Michele; Saba, Emanuele Presutti; Calcagnile, Lucio; Quarta, Gianluca; D'Elia, Marisa; Vivo, Giuseppe De; Schettino, Aldo; Filippo, Alfredo Di (2018). "The oldest dated tree of Europe lives in the wild Pollino massif: Italus, a strip-bark Heldreich's pine". Ecology. 99 (7): 1682–1684. doi:10.1002/ecy.2231. ISSN   1939-9170. PMID   29768656.
  26. ↑ Pappagallo, Linda (2013-01-08). "The World's Oldest Olive Trees are Lebanese - Green Prophet" . Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  27. ↑ "Epic Olive Trees - Olive Oil Times". www.oliveoiltimes.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  28. ↑ "The World's Oldest Living Olive Trees Are Lebanese « Time Olive Trees" . Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  29. ↑ "Olive trees of Bchaaleh are the oldest olive trees in Lebanon – LebanonUntravelled.com" . Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  30. ↑ "The Prometheus Story - Great Basin National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-28. another bristlecone in the same area, proved to be 5,065 years old.
  31. 1 2 "Cypress". Encyclopædia Iranica . Archived from the original on 2017-11-17.
  32. 1 2 "Trees in ancient Iran". Earthwatchers. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  33. ↑ "Oldest yew tree found in Turkey's north". 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi". www.ktu.edu.tr. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  35. ↑ "The ancient yew tree". St Johns Tisbury. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  36. ↑ Pavuk, Amy. "'The Senator' Catches Fire". Orlando Sentinel. Times Newspaper. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  37. ↑ Scheper, J. "Florida's Big Tree". Floridata.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  38. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  39. ↑ "FLORESTAS — ICNF" (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  40. ↑ "A town with sacred camphor trees and a new-style library" . Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  41. ↑ "武雄神社とは" . Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  42. ↑ Bevan-Jones, Robert (2004). The ancient yew: a history of Taxus baccata. Bollington: Windgather Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN   978-0-9545575-3-9.
  43. ↑ Hidson, Toby (2014). "Addressing the claim that the Defynnog yewsin Powysmay be 5,000 years old" (PDF). Ancient Yew Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Alishan Forest Recreation area has new "tree king"". Taipei Times. 2006-07-02. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  45. ↑ "A Luras il patriarca degli olivastri millenari d'Europa" (PDF) (in Italian). COMUNE DI LURAS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-11.
  46. ↑ Botosso, Paulo Cesar (November 2002). "Conhecer a Idade das Árvores: Importância e Aplicação" (PDF). Embrapa Florestas. Documentos 75: 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  47. ↑ "UTAD classificou oliveira com 2.850 anos!" (in Portuguese). CienciaPT. 2011-07-08. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  48. ↑ "The General Sherman Tree". Sequoia National Park. U.S. National Park Service. 1997-03-27. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  49. ↑ "The General Sherman Tree - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  50. ↑ "Árvores Monumentais de Portugal". ICNF. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  51. ↑ Hobson, Jake (2007). Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way. Timber Press. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-88192-835-8 . Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  52. ↑ Flora and Fauna Fact Sheet (Web Japan)
  53. ↑ Miyazaki, Makoto. "The old men of the mountains". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  54. ↑ "Locals want quarries out of Çığlıkara Forest" . Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  55. ↑ "The Olive Tree and Olive Oil". Sfakia-crete.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  56. ↑ "Andalucía alberga el árbol más longevo de toda España". Cambio16. 2018-05-04. Archived from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  57. ↑ "the-oldest-olive-tree pictures, videos and albums". Webshots.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  58. ↑ "О Кавказе". Wwf.ru. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  59. ↑ ""Methuselah" Redwood - Woodside, California". Waymarking.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  60. ↑ ""Parque de Araucarias Araucanas" - Chile: La edad milenaria e indefinida de las Araucarias Araucanas". parquedearaucarias.blogspot.cl. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  61. ↑ "Kong Frederik den Syvendes Stiftelse Paa Jægerspris". Kongfrederik.dk. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  62. ↑ "Tajemný tis ve Vilémovicích je nejstarším stromem v Česku" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  63. ↑ "Common Hawthorn next to the church in Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne, France".
  64. ↑ "Jardine Juniper Trail". Utahmountainbiking.com. 2001-08-31. Archived from the original on 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  65. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08912963.2022.2150549?journalCode=ghbi20Vento,+Bárbara;+Agrain,+Federico;+Puebla,+Griselda+(2022).+%22Ancient+Antarctica:+the+early+evolutionary+history+of+Nothofagus%22.+Historical+Biology:+1–11.+doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2150549.+S2CID 256792206.
  66. ↑ "National Trust - Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei )". trusttrees.org.au. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  67. ↑ "Where the old things are: Australia's most ancient trees". The Conversation. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  68. ↑ Lynch, A. J. J.; Barnes, R. W.; Vaillancourt, R. E.; Cambecèdes, J. (1998). "Genetic evidence that Lomatia tasmanica (Proteaceae) is an ancient clone" (PDF). Australian Journal of Botany. 46 (1): 25–33. doi:10.1071/BT96120 . Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  69. ↑ "Quaking Aspen". Bryce Canyon . National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2015-02-10.
  70. ↑ Connor, Steve (December 23, 2009). "At 13,000 years, tree is world's oldest organism". The Independent. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 2017-10-22.
  71. 1 2 May, Michael R; Provance, Mitchell C; Sanders, Andrew C; Ellstrand, Norman C; Ross-Ibarra, Jeffrey (December 2009). "A Pleistocene Clone of Palmer's Oak Persisting in Southern California". PLOS ONE. 4 (12): e8346. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.8346M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008346 . PMC   2796394 . PMID   20041136.
  72. ↑ "Swedes find 'world's oldest tree'". BBC News. 17 April 2008. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  73. ↑ Owen, James (14 April 2008). "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  74. ↑ "World's oldest living tree discovered in Sweden". Swedish Research Council. 16 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  75. ↑ Roger Highfield (17 April 2008). "World's oldest tree discovered in Sweden". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 August 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  76. ↑ "9 500 år gammal gran i Härjedalen". dn.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2009-10-23.
  77. ↑ "Eucalyptus recurva (a mallee) Draft Recovery Plan" (PDF). Sydney, Australia: National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW. 2002.
  78. ↑ "The Oldest Living Tasmanian: The Huon Pine". Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  79. ↑ "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic News. 2008-04-08. Archived from the original on 2012-11-01. Retrieved 2013-01-11.

72. National Trust. 2023. Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei). [ONLINE] Available at: https://trusttrees.org.au/tree/QLD/Springbrook/Repeater_Station_Road. [Accessed 8 April 2023].

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.