The oldest living tree in the world. The most ancient trees on earth

We are accustomed to taking the world around us for granted. It is difficult for us to imagine that some representatives of the world of flora lived their lives long before we were born and will continue to exist even after our death. What are these mysterious centenarians? To answer this question, we will have to find out what the oldest tree in the world is and what competitors it has.

The most important long-liver

The title of "The Oldest Tree in the World" belongs to a pine tree called Methuselah. The exact location of this natural long-liver is known to few people for certain; such secrecy is caused by the desire to protect the tree from various external attacks. It is only reported that the plant is located in the United States, in the Inyo Reserve Forest. Guessing the age of a pine tree is not so easy, such representatives flora do not differ in significant dimensions, height or girth. How old is the oldest tree in the world? The record in this matter is considered to be 4844 years old.

Main competitor

Does the oldest tree in the world have competitors? A photo of an unnamed pine from California only confirms the opinion that there are a lot of long-lived plants on earth. Its age is supposed to be more than 5000 years. The tree has no core; it was removed for research purposes. It is necessary to clarify that the exact location of the pine tree is not known, and its photograph is presented in a single copy.

Representatives of the Old World

The Old World also has its own long-livers. Thus, in northern Wales there grows a yew berry, the age of which is not precisely determined, but can be from 4 to 5 thousand years. Local residents make up legends about the old tree, claiming that at its foot lives evil spirit, which can curse a person and take his life.

The Sarv-e Abar-kukh cypress is considered the oldest tree in Asia. The majestic centenarian is a real treasure of Iran; according to the most conservative estimates, his age is 4 thousand years.

The oldest root system

When talking about what is the oldest tree in the world, we most often mean individual representatives of the world of flora, but in nature there are other, no less interesting formations. For example, clonal colonies are entire groves of trees united underground by one root system. The age of the oldest grove called Pando (USA, Utah), according to various estimates, ranges from a staggering 80,000 to 1 million years. A unique relict colony is formed by aspen-type poplars.

It is likely that the oldest tree in the world has not yet been found. For example, it can be any unknown aspen, tenacious and very strong. Its root system can withstand any adversity and natural disasters to then give life to new, young shoots. During scientific research, tree roots were discovered, the age of which, according to rough calculations, was more than 80 thousand years.

Record holders in other categories

Now that you know what the oldest tree in the world is, it’s time to talk about other record holders. Thus, the following representatives of the world of flora cause surprise and delight all over the world:

• The Hyperion tree has the most significant length. It grows in Redwood Park and belongs to the sequoia genus. The unique giant reaches a height of just over 115 meters (115.5) and has a relatively small diameter.
• The Montezuma Cypress has the most outstanding diameter. You can explore the miracle of nature when you come to Mexico. At first glance, many tourists and ordinary people think that the incredible sight in front of them is formed by several trees fused together, but this is not at all the case. Conducted scientific research confirmed that nature education is single and integral and reaches a girth of 48 meters.
• Another famous and respectable owner of a significant diameter is General Herman, his dimensions reach 32 meters (girth), while the representative of the world of flora has a very respectable age of about 2200 years and a truly gigantic weight (about 6 tons).
• The most bizarre and unusual tree considered to be a banyan tree. His distinctive feature is an outlandish root system that grows from the main trunk tens of meters around. Unique representatives of this species are protected by various state environmental programs, which means that they will soon have the opportunity to be included in the rating of long-lived trees.
• One of the most ancient root systems has a pine tree named Tikko, despite the relatively young trunk (age is about a couple of centuries), the rhizome of the tree has rich history lasting about 9500 years.
• A dead but still living American tree called Senator was burned in 2012; if not for such a sad circumstance, the age of the representative of the plant world would have reached 3,500 years. Today, all that remains of the centenarian is a small base, near which new young shoots find life.

Beth Moon, a photographer from San Francisco, devoted fourteen years to finding and documenting the oldest trees on Earth. She visited almost every continent to capture these unique plants: rare and very old trees, huge in size and with incredible stories. See the oldest trees on Earth.

18 PHOTOS

1. “I photograph the largest and oldest living monuments on Earth, and I believe that these trees have become even more symbolic in our time because our goal now is to find better ways to protect environment, including natural wonders that have survived centuries. I can't imagine the best way perpetuate life than to describe the most unique trees in the world. Many of them are in danger of being destroyed,” says Beth. (Photo: Beth Moon)
2. These two yew trees, which were planted in the 18th century in Gloucestershire (England), gave the local church incredible charm. It is possible that these mighty trunks became a source of inspiration for the science fiction writer Tolkien when creating the image of the gate protecting the entrance to the mines of Moria. (Photo: Beth Moon)
3. These 500-year-old trees, which were very aptly named "Dragon's Blood", were photographed by Beth in the Socotra archipelago, which belongs to Yemen. This interesting name the tree received due to the substance that is in its leaves, bark and resin, which also has medicinal properties. (Photo: Beth Moon)
4. When Beth Moon began her series on the world's oldest trees fourteen years ago, she did not expect that her biggest challenge would be getting to these amazing natural wonders. She had to climb high mountains, squeeze between canyons and walk for long hours to get to your goal. (Photo: Beth Moon)
5. “But it was their [trees’] inaccessibility that allowed them to survive for even 4,800 years,” notes the photographer. (Photo: Beth Moon)
6. Baobabs are Bet’s favorite trees. They are also called “trees of life”, and there are six types of them in the world. (Photo: Beth Moon)
7. Beth looked for information about her “living” objects from various sources: from books on history, biology and botany, from newspaper articles, in tree registries in different countries. In addition, she studied well natural areas USA, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. (Photo: Beth Moon)
8. Beth first picked up a camera when she was 15 years old, and even then trees attracted her attention, and in the first series of her photographs, she immortalized, of course, trees. (Photo: Beth Moon)
9. Beth deliberately took photographs of trees in black and white, because, in her opinion, the viewer then pays more attention to lines and shapes. (Photo: Beth Moon)
10. “Black-and-white compositions allow you to highlight key parts of the photo to further develop the theme,” adds Beth Luna. (Photo: Beth Moon)
11. According to Beth, the criteria for choosing trees were their size, age or amazing stories associated with them. (Photo: Beth Moon)
12. Beth was able to photograph some truly unique and magnificent trees. She looked for them all over the world and found what she wanted. Neither steep mountain slopes, nor private property, nor protected areas stopped her. (Photo: Beth Moon)
13. About her travels, Beth said: “The further into the forest, the more difficult it is.” She, as a single traveling woman, more than once had to face danger, misunderstanding and nagging from customs officers. (Photo: Beth Moon)
14. A series of photographs magnificent trees Beth called "Ancient Trees: A Portrait of Time." (Photo: Beth Moon)

Amazing selection. Be sure to check it out!
Since man declared his intention to subjugate nature, the responsibility for its preservation fell on him. Natural monuments today fascinate no less than monuments of human civilization, and examples of the heritage of living nature fascinate even more than mountains or caves.
There are so-called clonal colonies of trees in the world that reproduce vegetatively through underground rhizomes and therefore live for tens of thousands of years. But there is something completely magical about when one tree withstands the test for thousands of years. These 10 trees, which appeared before our era, which will be discussed below, witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, survived climatic disasters and even withstood a period of rapid industrial development.

Methuselah

This intermontane pine is 4,841 years old, making it the oldest non-clonal organism on Earth. The exact location of Methuselah is kept secret to protect it from the public (an even older 4,900-year-old tree named Prometheus was cut down by a researcher in 1964 with permission from US authorities), but in general the tree grows in National Nature Reserve Inyo in the White Mountains of California, USA. Today people can get into the forest where it grows, but they must guess for themselves which one is Methuselah.

Zoroastrian Sarv

This mighty Mediterranean cypress, also called Sarv-e Abar-kukh, is located in the Iranian village of Abarku and is national treasure countries. Being 25 meters in height and 18 meters in girth, this tree lives for over 4,000 years. At one time, when the main religion of Persia was Avestan, it was believed that Zarathustra himself planted the cypress tree, which is not true, since the legendary priest turned out to be younger than the tree for one and a half to two millennia.

Tees Llangernyw

The age of many trees can be determined only with a large degree of convention. The yew from the village of Llangernyw in North Wales has been growing there for over 4,000 years. The girth of the trunk is quite consistent with the age of the tree and is as much as 11 meters. There is a local legend that the cemetery near St Digain's Church, which is located at the foot of an old yew tree, is haunted by an ancient evil spirit capable of casting curses. He is called "the angel who writes everything down." One day, a certain Sean Up Robert allegedly decided to doubt the existence of the spirit, went in search of it under an ominous old yew tree on Halloween night and soon died. If there is some truth in this, then perhaps this was due to the poisonousness of the yew.

Ahlers

Ahlers - common name for the giant Fitzroy cypress trees growing in the mountains South America. It is difficult to determine their age because the oldest examples were cut in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many botanists believe that this is the second oldest tree species on Earth after intermontane pines. North America. The oldest known Fitzroy is 3640 years old.

Senator

The fate of the pond cypress named Senator turned out to be quite sad. This 36-meter tree, growing on the outskirts of the city of Longwood in American state Florida, it was about 3,500 years old, until in 2012 one of the local drug addicts decided to set it on fire from the inside to “watch it burn.” The fire, which they did not have time to put out, was filmed by the girl on her phone. The tree served as a landmark for the ancient Indians, and in the last century it survived several strong hurricanes.

Patriarca da Floresta

This tree of the species Cariniana legalis, called Patriarca da Floresta, grows in Brazil and is approximately 3000 years old. This is the oldest non-coniferous tree in the country. Patriarca da Floresta is considered sacred, but in general trees of this species are actively cut down in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.

Olive tree Ano Vouves

This ancient olive tree is located on greek island Crete and is considered one of the seven Mediterranean olive trees, which are between 2000 and 3000 years old. Although it is not possible to determine its exact age, it dates back more than 3,000 years. Olives still grow on it, and quite high quality. Olive trees are distinguished by their hardiness and resistance to droughts, fires and other disasters. This is probably one of the reasons for their longevity.

Yomon Suji

The oldest Yomon Suji cypress on Yakushima Island in Japan is one of the reasons why the entire island is listed as a UNESCO site World Heritage. The tree is more than 2000 years old, although some experts claim that it is older than 5000 years. According to their theory, Yomon Suji is the oldest tree on the planet. Regardless of the correctness of the numbers, this tree must be present in this collection.

Hundred Horse Chestnut

The oldest and largest chestnut tree in the world grows on the eastern slope of Mount Etna, near Catania, Italy. The heroism of this tree, which is between 2000 and 4000 years old, is that Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and the Hundred Horse Chestnut grows just 8 kilometers from its crater. The name of the tree was given by a legend, according to which hundreds of knights were able to hide under it during strong storm. The chestnut is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest tree circumference, which is 57.9 meters.

General Sherman

Another record holder - this time for the largest volume - the 2,500-year-old General Sherman is the largest and heaviest non-clonal living organism on our planet and the most powerful of the currently growing sequoias. In 2006, its largest branch fell, breaking part of the fence enclosing the tree and leaving a hole in the nearby footpath. The general grows in the "Giant Forest" of Sequoia National Park in California, US, where 5 of the 10 largest trees on the planet can also be found.

For many trees, being several hundred years old is common. Centuries-old giants are found among oaks, pines, ash trees and other species.

For today's Top 10, we have chosen the oldest trees on the planet, whose age exceeds several thousand years. These venerable elders witnessed the change of generations and eras, and today they are surrounded by honor and attention, attracting tourists from all over the world.

This tree is the largest on Earth. The total mass of the General Sherman is 1,900 tons, its height is 84 meters, and the girth of the trunk at the base is 31.3 meters. The age of the long-lived giant exceeds 2,500 years.

9. Fitzroya cypress Alerce (Argentina)

The age of this giant is about 3,600 years. Over the centuries, the tree has reached a height of 57.5 meters, and the diameter of its trunk is 2.3 meters. IN wildlife trees of this species grow only in South America.

8. Zoroastrian Sarv (Iran)

The age of this evergreen cypress is 4 thousand years. The height of the tree is 25 meters, the circumference of the trunk is 18 meters. Iranians treat Sarv with great respect and reverence, which has been elevated to the rank of a national monument.

7. Methuselah Pine (USA)

This tree of the bristlecone pine species grows at an altitude of about 3 thousand meters above sea level. Methuselah is 4,800 years old. This is the oldest non-sprouting tree on Earth. In order to protect the tree from vandals, employees of the national park in which it grows show Methuselah only to serious scientists.

6. Prometheus Pine (USA)

Unfortunately, all that remains of this 5,000-year-old pine tree is a stump. The tree was cut down before scientists could estimate its age. However, researchers are hopeful. That Prometheus will begin to produce new shoots in the very near future.

5. Huon pine (Tasmania)

This coniferous plant from the family Nocarpaceae, it has a root system with an area of ​​1 hectare and an age of about 10 thousand years. The age of individual piglets is about 3 thousand years.

4. Spruce Old Tjikko (Sweden)

According to radiocarbon dating of the tissues of the root system, the age of this spruce is 9,550 years. However, the shoots that emerged from the ancient root system celebrated only their 500th anniversary. Older shoots were probably destroyed forest fire many centuries ago.

3. Creosote bush (USA)

Typically, this bushy plant of the Larrea tridentata species reaches about 3 meters in height. A Creosote bush more than 20 meters in diameter and more than 11 thousand years old was discovered in the center of the Mojave Desert.

2. Jurupa Oak (USA)

In California's Jurupa Valley, scientists discovered a huge “stump” from which grow about 70 coppice about a meter high. The age of the “stump” is about 13 thousand years. Scientists claim that the Jurupa oak witnessed the last ice age in the history of the Earth.

1. Pando Poplar Colony (USA)

This tree colony may be the longest living organism on our planet. The age of the root system of these poplar thickets exceeds 80 thousand years. Although visually Pando resembles a poplar grove from separately standing trees, the entire colony is a single plant, total mass which exceeds 6,600 tons.

It's no secret that trees live much longer longer than a person, it is not uncommon that their age is calculated in centuries. But few people know that there are plants that have taken root in the ground so long ago that even Egyptian pyramids younger than them, and some trees were able to observe the life of many human civilizations.

Scientists were able to absolute precision determine that on our planet there are now about fifty trees that are more than a thousand years old. But if we realistically assess the situation, there may be many more such long-lived trees, because many of them grow in inaccessible and impassable corners, and it is quite difficult to analyze already discovered specimens.

The oldest tree on the planet

Officially, the oldest tree in the world is the bristlecone pine Methuselah, whose age is estimated at 5,000 years. You can see it by visiting the territory of the Inyo National Forest, which is located in eastern California (it is also called the Forest of Ancient Pines). The exact location of the oldest tree on earth is kept secret by the national forest workers in order to prevent an influx of curious people who could harm Methuselah. And since there are a lot of perennial trees in the forest, it is almost impossible to discover Methuselah on your own.

The ancient pine was discovered almost recently, in 1957, although scientists became interested in this issue long before that. Edmund Shulman, who was researching the climate of the western states of the United States and studying tree rings, by which all climate changes can be determined, came across the tree.

This type of pine has special needles, their life cycle is equal to twenty to thirty years, so pines can save their energy by not growing new needles every now and then. Pine needles perform a vital function: regular photosynthesis gives the long-lived pine the opportunity to comfortably survive the conditions of even the harshest climate.

This is not the only oldest tree in the world, let's get to know others.

This pine tree could have broken the previous record if it had not been cut down in 1968. Upon careful examination, it turned out that the age of Prometheus exceeds 5 thousand years.

To this day, it is not clear why it was necessary to take the life of the oldest tree on earth. At that time research group climatic conditions were analyzed ancient world. To do this they needed to cut down several oldest trees to view their tree rings. Some believe that graduate student Donald Curry, who cut down Prometheus, did not even suspect which centenarian he had raised his hand to.

How true this is is unknown, but Prometheus from Nevada is the oldest tree found so far. True, the pine received this title posthumously.

The huge sequoia General Sherman is in national park"Sequoia" in America, California. It is not only the oldest sequoia in the world, but also the tallest of all. It rises above the ground at a distance of more than 80 meters, and the circumference of its base is 30 meters. Scientists have determined the age of this tree; it is approximately 2.3-2.7 thousand years. Imagine how small and insignificant a person seems next to this giant! No wonder this giant sequoia so attractive to tourists. According to those who have seen this tree, it looks more like a red-orange stone that has no end or edge.

By the way, this sequoia continues to grow, about one and a half centimeters are added to its circumference every year. The Americans, who love to analyze and systematize everything, hung a sign near the sequoia, which says that forty houses could be built from it, and if it were compared with a passenger train, then this tall “maiden” would win. But the point is not the amount of wood! Not every tourist imagines that this sequoia grew during the time of King Tutankhamun, but there is something to be amazed by here.

But there are other, no less amazing, oldest trees in the world.

In Nagorno-Karabakh there is also a long-lived tree, whose age is about 2 thousand years. This is the Skhtorashen plane tree (plane tree) with a height of more than 50 meters and a trunk circumference of about 30 meters. The giant has an equally amazing hollow with an area of ​​almost 50 square meters, a hundred people can easily fit into it! And the size of a plane tree “leaf” is half a meter. By the way, the Skhtorashen plane tree is perfectly visible from space, since its crown area reaches 1.5 thousand square meters. It is not surprising that local residents treat the plane tree as a shrine, because over many millennia who has not rested in the shadow of this giant, even the most outstanding personalities.

Another giant grows in Abahuk, in Iran. This time it is a cypress tree, called the “Zoroastrian Sarv” and has great significance for Iranian believers. The shrine is approximately 4-5 thousand years old, approximately the same age as Stonehenge.

The centenarians of Wales, approximately 4 millennia old, Llangernew Yew, can most often be found in cemeteries. These trees are capable of living so long life thanks to the ability of the trunk to produce new branches. These branches live on and take root even when the trunk that gave them life dies.

Scientists discovered the beautiful cypress back in 1933. It is located in Chile in the Andes grove. Having studied its tree rings, researchers determined the age of the cypress - more than 3,500 years. Typically, such cypress trees can grow up to 50 meters in height, but just imagine that their growth per year is usually only a millimeter, how long do you need to live to reach such a height?

This majestic giant has taken root in a subtropical park " Big tree", which is located in Florida, USA. Senator is the largest giant in the area, growing east of the Mississippi. The forty-meter cypress has a lifespan of about 3.5 thousand years, approximately the same number of years ago when the first Polynesian settlers appeared in Fiji.

The oldest trees in Russia

Our homeland, although it boasts vast expanses, unfortunately, does not have thousand-year-old trees on its territory. But there are still elders approaching this venerable age! For example, in the village of Ladushkin, which is Kaliningrad region, the Grunwald oak grows, whose age has exceeded 800 years. And the Dagestan plane tree from Russia is a little younger - it is 700 years old.

Recently, Yakutia also pleased us; botanists discovered a whole forest in it, in which many centenarians grow. Moreover, their number is simply amazing - about 15% of the entire site! These Cajander larches, which are approximately 750-885 years old, are much older than the Cajander larches from North America, which until now were recognized as the oldest larches on the planet.

It is curious that these over-aged Yakut trees are not very large in size. Even the oldest tree in Russia cannot grow higher than nine meters and has a trunk diameter of approximately 25 centimeters. But this is natural, considering how harsh climatic conditions The Cajander larch is growing.