List of oldest trees

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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, and 18,000 years by the latest (2024) estimate. . 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, and 18,000 years by the latest (2024) estimate. . 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. [2]

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. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] 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. [8]

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. [9]
Methuselah 4,856 [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. [11]
Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo 3,653–5,484 1,630+ BCE Patagonian cypress
Fitzroya cupressoides
Cordillera Pelada, Los Ríos Chile Alive. [11] [12] New unconfirmed estimation of 5,484 years would make it the oldest (non-clonal) tree in the world. [13] Located within Alerce Costero National Park. [14]
CBR263,266 1,245 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [11]
D-213,220 1,199 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [11]
D-233,075 1,054 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [11]
CMC 33,033 1,012 BCE Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [11]
Scofield Juniper2,675 654 BCE Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis [15]
Sierra Nevada, California United States Dead. [11]
BLK2272,649 626 BCE Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Three Sisters Cove, Black River (North Carolina) United States [16]
CB-90-112,467 443 BCE Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine
Pinus aristata
Central Colorado United States [11] [17]
Panke Baobab2,419 398 BCE African baobab
Adansonia digitata
Matabeleland North Zimbabwe Died in 2011; the oldest non-clonal angiosperm ever documented. [18]
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. [19]
 ?2,230 209 BCE Qilian juniper
Juniperus przewalskii
Delingha, Qinghai Province China [11]
 ?2,200 179 BCE Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens
Northern California United States Dead. [11]
Bennett Juniper 2,200 179 BCE Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis [15]
Sierra Nevada, California United States [11]
SHP 72,110 89 BCE Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana
Sierra Nevada California United States [11]
BLK2322,089 68 BCE Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Three Sisters Cove, Black River (North Carolina) United States [16]
 ?1,951 74 Subalpine larch
Larix lyallii
Kananaskis, Alberta Canada [11] [20]
CRE 1751,889 133 Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Northern New Mexico United States [11]
Miles Juniper1,836 189 Sierra juniper
Juniperus grandis[ citation needed ]
Sierra Nevada, California United States [11] [21]
Jōmon Sugi 1,813 212 Sugi
Cryptomeria japonica
Yakushima Island Japan [22]
KET 39961,726 298 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis
Ketchum, Idaho United States [11] [23]
BFR-461,697 325 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis
Wasatch Mountains, Utah United States [11]
FL1171,686 339 Northern whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis
Ontario Canada [11] [24]
ERE1,670 352 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis
Northern New Mexico United States [11]
RCR 11,666 356 Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana
Sierra Nevada, California United States [11]
 ?1,661 361 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis
South Park (Park County, Colorado) United States [11]
BBL 21,649 373 Foxtail pine
Pinus balfouriana
Sierra Nevada, California United States [11]
BCK 691,658 376 Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Bladen County, North Carolina United States [11] [25]
 ?1,636 386 Nootka cypress
Callitropsis nootkatensis
Vancouver Island Canada [11]
FL1011,567 455 Northern whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis
Ontario Canada [11]
 ?1,542 480 Limber pine
Pinus flexilis
Central Colorado United States [11]
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). [26]

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, Dalarna Sweden
"The Sisters" or "Sisters Olive Trees of Noah"6,000 [27] 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. [28] [29] [30] 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. [13] [14]
 ? [nb 2] 5,076 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. [11] [31]
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". [32] [33]
Gümeli Porsuğu 4,115Yew
Taxus baccata
Zonguldak Turkey Alive, found in 2016. [34] [35]
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. [36]
The Senator 3,500 Pond cypress
Taxodium ascendens
Longwood, Florida United States Died in January 2012 from human-caused fire. [37] [38]
Oliveira do Mouchão (KNJ1/601)3,350 European olive tree

Olea europea L. var. europaea

Mouriscas, Abrantes Portugal Alive. [39] [40]
S'Ozzastru3,000–4,000 Olive
Olea europaea
Luras, Sardinia Italy [41]
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]
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. [45]
Great Camphor of Takeo3,000+ Cinnamomum camphora
"Camphor Tree"
Takeo, Saga Japan A large Camphor tree reputed to be over 3,000 years old. [46] Worshipped at a Shinto shrine dedicated to the tree, dating back to the 700s C.E. [47] Alive.
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 [48]
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". [32] [33]
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. [49] [50]
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. [51]
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. [52] [53] [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 branches was broken in 1985 by typhoon "Brenda".
Stara Maslina 2,249 (2,016-2482) [56] Olive
Olea europaea
Stari Bar, Bar Montenegro
Tnjri 2,040+ Oriental plane
Platanus orientalis
Martuni Region Azerbaijan Oldest tree in a part of Azerbaijan. Its trunk is hollow. Also known as "Sose's Tree".
Koca Katran 2,030 Lebanon cedar
Cedrus libani
Antalya Turkey Alive. [57]
 ?2,010 Olive
Olea europaea
Exo Hora, Zakynthos Greece [58]
 ?2,010 Yew
Taxus
Sochi, Krasnodar Krai Russia A grove known to possess several 2,000-year-old specimens. [59]
Houkisugi at Nakagawa 2,000 Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica
Nakagawa Settlement, Yamakita, Kanagawa Japan
Lady Liberty 2,000+ Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Longwood, Florida United States Sometimes called the "Companion Tree" to 'Senator".
Tejo Milenario2,000+ Yew
Taxus baccata
Cazorla, Jaén Spain Oldest tree in Spain. [60]
The Pechanga Great Oak Tree1,000 [61] -2,000 Coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia
Temecula, California United States Oldest oak tree in the United States, possibly in the world.
Methuselah1,800Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens
Woodside, California United States [62]
Araucaria Madre1,810 Araucaria araucana Araucanía Chile Located in Parque Nacional Conguillío. 1,800 rings account for at least 1,800 years. [63]
Granit oak 1,679 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur
Granit Bulgaria
Kongeegen 1,500–2,000 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur
Jægerspris Nordskov, Zealand Denmark [64]
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. [65]
Aubépines1,500 Common hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne France Oldest tree in France. [66]
Jardine Juniper 1,500 Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
Logan Canyon, Utah United States [67]
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".
Cis Henrykowski1270 Common Yew
Taxus Baccata
Henryków Lubański, Lower Silesia, Poland Oldest tree in Poland. The age of the tree was estimated based on the trunk circumference and growth rate assessed by taking a core from an undamaged part of the trunk. If the trunk is the result of the fusion of two or three trunks, its age may be younger. [68]
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 Beech2000 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. [69]
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." [70]
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. [71]
Pando less than 14,000 [4] –80,000 [72] 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 [73] 13,000 [74] Palmer oak
Quercus palmeri
Jurupa Mountains, California United States Quercus palmeri Engelm. = Quercus dunnii Kellogg. [74]
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 [75] [76] was established using carbon dating and genetic matching. [77] Elsewhere in the Fulu mountains, 20 spruces have been found older than 8,000 years. [78]
Old Rasmus9,500 Norway spruce
Picea abies
Sonfjället, Härjedalen Sweden [79]
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. [80]
unknown3,000 [81] –10,000 [82] 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. [8]

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". [10] The age given here is based on this reference point.
  2. Not named yet

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

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

Pando is the world's largest tree, a quaking aspen located in Sevier County, Utah, United States, in the Fishlake National Forest. A male clonal organism, Pando has an estimated 47,000 stems (ramets) that appear to be individual trees, but are connected by a root system that spans 42.8 ha. Pando is the largest tree by weight and landmass and 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 the tree's landmass. Pando spans 1.08 km × 0.72 km at its widest expanse along of the southwestern edge of the Fishlake Basin and lies 0.69 km (0.43 mi) to the west of Fish Lake, the largest natural mountain freshwater lake in Utah. Pando's landmass spreads from 2,700 m (8,900 ft) above sea level to approximately 2,773 m (9,098 ft) above sea level along the western side of a steep basin wall. Pando is estimated to weigh collectively 6,000 tonnes (6,000,000 kg), or 13.2 million pounds, making it the heaviest known organism. The Pando Tree's 43-hectare (106-acre) expanse also makes Pando the largest tree by landmass.

References

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