Trees are considered one of the longest-living organisms on our planet. The age of these amazing and majestic green plants is measured in several hundred and even thousands of years. According to official figures, there are over 50 “long-livers” on the earth who are more than a thousand years old. We included in the rating the oldest trees in the worldthat are known to science.
10. Jomon Sugi | 2000 years
Jemon Sugi - Japanese plant longevity from the island of Yakushima. The tree has an impressive size, which is 25 meters in height and 16 meters in diameter. Zemon Sugi is at least 2,000 years old according to researchers.
9. Agathis south Te Matua Ngaere | 2000 years
Agathis Southern Te Matua Ngaere - The oldest representative of the Kauri species from New Zealand. The “Father of the Forest” with a girth of 16.5 meters in diameter has a height of 30 meters. To judge the majestic size of this kauri, it will help that, according to some estimates, a giant tree body would be enough to build 40 wooden houses, and its trunk length is longer than a passenger train. The approximate age of Te Matua Ngaere is estimated at 2000 years.
Due to a severe storm in 2007, the tree was seriously damaged.
8. Olive Tree Vouves | 2000 years
Olive tree vouves - the oldest among its representatives. Vouves grows on the island of Crete and still bears fruit, despite its age, which, according to some reports, is over 2000 years old. For many centuries, the ancient olive tree was 12 meters high and rounded up to 3 meters in diameter. This woody plant has a very rich history and was considered sacred in ancient times. Numerous hollows at the roots of the plant were a haven for stray animals, and since the 2000s of our century, the Vouves olive has become an attribute of the Olympics. Its branches were used to make wreaths for the winners of the Games. Recently, a museum was built specifically dedicated to this tree.
7. Sequoia dendron giant General Sherman | 2700 years
Sequoia dendron giant General Sherman - Another of the greenest centenarians in the world, growing in the US California Sequoia National Park. The tree got its name in honor of the General of the Civil War William Tekuns. This is one of the largest growing organisms on the planet, whose height exceeds 83 meters, and the trunk thickness is 31 meters. General Sherman is about 2700 years old.
6. Chestnut hundreds of horses | 2000 - 4000 years
Chestnut “Hundreds of horses” not only one of the oldest trees in the world, but also the largest in girth. There are no exact data on the age of the oldest chestnut in the world, but according to some experts, its age averages from 2000 to 4000 years. The plant got its eccentric name because of the prevailing legend of Queen Aragon and her 100 knights, who were able to hide under the crown of a chestnut tree at the time of a severe thunderstorm. This instance boasts a set record among other representatives - this is the “thickest” tree on earth with a circumference of almost 58 meters. Thanks to this, the centenarian was in the Guinness Book of Records.
5. Fitzroy cypress Alerche | 3650 years
Fitzroy Cypress Alerce (Alerche) - a long-lived larch from Chile, growing in the Andes. The approximate age of Alerche is estimated at 3650 years. 10 meters thick, Fitzroy reaches 70 meters in height. This type of larch is one of the slowest growing, but long lasting.
4. Yew from Llangernyu | 4000 years
Yew from Llangernu (Llangernyw Yew) - The oldest living organism on earth, which is about 4000 years old. The plant is a “resident” of North Wales and is considered one of the greatest trees in the UK. The longevity of this yew is due to its ability to give new shoots at the site of the dead. Reaching a diameter of 11 meters, this yew due to the lack of a central part of the trunk resembles Siamese twins.
3. Cypress Zoroastrian Sarv | 4,500 years
Cypress Zoroastrian Sarv (Sarv-e Abarku) - a natural monument of Iran and one of the oldest woody plants in the world. Evergreen cypress, estimated at 4,500 years old, is considered Asia's oldest living creature. This cypress with its 25-meter height has grown to almost 20 meters in width.
2. Pine Methuselah | 4845 years
Pine Methuselah - one of the oldest trees in the world. This valuable specimen grows in the Inio National Forest of California, in the USA. According to experts, the age of the tree is 4845 years. Pine was discovered by American scientist Edmond Schulman in 1953. In 1958, when the public became aware of the long-lived, tourists began to come to him from all over the world. Each of the pilgrims took with him a piece of the bark or branch of Methuselah, which almost led to his death. Currently, it is difficult to say about the exact location of Methuselah, since this information is kept secret in order to protect the exhibit from vandalism.
1. Old Tikko | 9550 years
Old tikko - spruce, whose age is 9550 years, is recognized as the oldest tree on earth. It grows on Mount Falufjellet in Sweden. Old Tiko's age was determined using radiocarbon analysis. If the root system of spruce is thousands of years old, then the trunk is only a few hundred. The fact is that for thousands of years the tree was in a low-growing shrub form, and could not develop in harsh conditions. Only in the 20th century did it become a normal tree due to global warming, and reached a height of 5 meters. The plant was discovered by Professor Leif Kulman, who gave it the name Old Tiko in honor of his dead dog. Scientists explain longevity ate by self-cloning - the trunk could die several times, but the root system again gave life to the tree. It is estimated that the current trunk of Tiko is only 600 years old, on the site of which, in the event of death, another new shoot may appear in many years.
In the world there are several more ancient trees that are not included in the rating, but they cannot be ignored.
These include swamp cypress senator from USA. He was one of the ten oldest woody plants in the world until 2012, until he died in a fire. It is noteworthy that the 38-meter giant for many generations was a reference point for the Indian tribes. The cypress got its name in honor of the Missouri Senator, who in 1927 donated money for his protection and the surrounding lands. From the oldest giant, whose age was determined at 3,500 years, almost nothing remained.
According to some reports, the oldest living organism on earth is a clonal colony of aspen-shaped poplar, which was called "Pando". On an area of 46 hectares, about 47 thousand clone aspens are growing, having a single root system, whose age is more than 80,000 years! The total mass of the colony is estimated at 7 thousand tons. Therefore, it is not only the oldest clonal plant, but also the heaviest.