List of oldest trees

Pando, an 80,000-year-old colony of quaking aspen, is the oldest-known clonal tree, 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" count core samples, and from estimates. For these reasons, this article presents three lists of "oldest trees," each using varying criteria.

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 centre 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 more than five millennia old.

A clonal colony can survive for much longer than an individual tree. A colony of 47,000 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. The colony has been estimated to be 80,000 years old, although tree ring samples date individual, above-ground, trees at only an average of about 130 years.[1][2][3][4] 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.[5]

Individual trees with verified ages

NameAge
(years)		SpeciesLocationCountryNotes
?[nb 1]5,068Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		White Mountains, CaliforniaUnited StatesOldest-known currently living tree. Tree cored by Edmund Schulman, age determined by Tom Harlan.[6]
Methuselah4,850[nb 2]Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		White Mountains, CaliforniaUnited StatesUntil 2012, it was the oldest-known living tree in the world.[8]
Prometheus
(WPN-114)		4,844Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva		Wheeler Peak, NevadaUnited StatesCut down by Donald Rusk Currey in 1964.[6]
Gran Abuelo3,647Patagonian cypress
Fitzroya cupressoides		Cordillera Pelada, Los RíosChileAlive.[6][9] Located within Alerce Costero National Park.[10]
CBR263,266Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
D-213,220Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
D-233,075Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
CMC 33,033Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
Scofield Juniper2,675Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
CB-90-112,461Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine
Pinus aristata		central ColoradoUnited States[6][11]
Panke Baobab2,419African Baobab
Adansonia digitata		Matabeleland NorthZimbabweDead in 2011; the oldest non-clonal angiosperm ever documented.[12]
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi2,302Sacred fig
Ficus religiosa		Anuradhapura, North Central ProvinceSri LankaA sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which the Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC and is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.[6]
?2,200Coast Redwood
Sequoia sempervirens		northern CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.[6]
Bennett Juniper2,200Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited States[6]
SHP 72,110Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana		Sierra Nevada CaliforniaUnited States[6]
?1,944Subalpine Larch
Larix lyallii		Kananaskis, AlbertaCanada[6][13]
CRE 1751,889Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum		northern New MexicoUnited States[6]
Miles Juniper1,830Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited States[6][14]
?1,807Sugi
Cryptomeria japonica		Yakushima IslandJapan[15]
KET 39961,720Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis		Ketchum, IdahoUnited States[6][16]
BFR-461,697Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis		Wasatch Mountains, UtahUnited States[6]
FL1171,680Northern Whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis		OntarioCanada[6][17]
ERE1,670Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis		northern New MexicoUnited States[6]
RCR 11,666Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited States[6]
?1,661Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis		South Park, ColoradoUnited States[6]
BBL 21,649Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited States[6]
BCK 691,652Baldcypress
Taxodium distichum		Bladen County, North CarolinaUnited States[6][18]
?1,636Nootka Cypress
Callitropsis nootkatensis		Vancouver IslandCanada[6]
FL1011,567Northern Whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis		OntarioCanada[6]
?1,542Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis		central ColoradoUnited States[6]

Old trees with estimated ages

Note: The ages of the trees in this list are speculative and probably unreliable.

NameAge
(years)		SpeciesLocationCountryNotes
?4,112Yew
Taxus baccata		ZonguldakTurkeyAlive, found in 2016.[19]
Llangernyw Yew4,000–5,000Common Yew
Taxus baccata		Llangernyw, ConwyWalesGirth of 10.75 m. Situated in the churchyard of St Dygain's Church in Llangernyw village. One of the 50 Great British Trees.
Sarv-e Abarkuh4,500Mediterranean cypress
Cupressus sempervirens		Abarkuh, YazdIranAlso called "Zoroastrian Sarv",[20][21]
The Senator3,500Pond cypress
Taxodium ascendens		Longwood, FloridaUnited StatesDestroyed by fire on January 16, 2012[22][23]
Oliveira do Mouchão (KNJ1/601) 3,350 European olive tree

Olea europea L. var. europaea

 Mouriscas, Abrantes Portugal Alive.[24][25]
The President3,200Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Sierra Nevada, CaliforniaUnited StatesAlive.
Alishan Sacred Tree3,000Formosan cypress
Chamaecyparis formosensis		Alishan National Scenic Area, ChiayiTaiwanCollapsed on July 1, 1997, following heavy rainstorms.[26]
S’Ozzastru3,000–4,000Olive
Olea europaea		Luras, SardiniaItaly[27]
Patriarca da Floresta3,020Jequitibá-rosa

Cariniana legalis

 Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, São PauloBrazilAlive. Probably the oldest non-conifer in Brazil. Its name translates as "Patriarch of the Forest". Located at the Vassununga State Park. [28]
Raintree3,000Great Basin bristlecone pineSpring Mountains, NevadaUnited StatesGreat 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 Azóia2,850Olive
Olea europaea		Santa Iria de Azóia, Loures, LisbonPortugalMagnificent 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 [29]
Mother of the Forest2,520Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum		Calaveras Big Trees State Park, CaliforniaUnited StatesDead.
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 among the tallest, widest, and longest-lived of all trees on the planet.[30]
Kayano Ōsugi2,300Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		Yamanaka Onsen, IshikawaJapanGirth 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".
Jōmon Sugi2,170–7,200Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		YakushimaJapanGirth 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.[31][32][33]
Koca Katran2,022Lebanon Cedar
Cedrus libani		AntalyaTurkeyAlive.[34]
Ballyconnell Yew2,000–5,000Yew
Taxus baccata		Ballyconnell, AnnaghIrelandOldest tree in Ireland and possibly in Europe.
Fortingall Yew2,000–3,000Yew
Taxus baccata		Fortingall, PerthshireScotlandPossibly the oldest tree in Britain[35]
Elia Vouvon2,000–5,000Olive
Olea europaea		Kolymvari, CreteGreeceIts name translates as "Olive Tree of Vouves".[36]
Castagnu dê Centu Cavaddi2,000–4,000Sweet chestnut
Castanea sativa		SicilyItalyIts name translates as the "Hundred Horse Chestnut".
Ulleungdo Hyangnamu2,000–3,000Chinese Juniper
Juniperus chinensis		Ulleung-gun, GyeongbukSouth KoreaGirth of 4.5 m. One of the main branch was broken in 1985 by typhoon "Brenda".
Lady Liberty2,000Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum		Longwood, FloridaUnited StatesSometimes called the "Companion Tree" to 'Senator".
Tnjri2,000Oriental plane
Platanus orientalis		Martuni RegionArtsakhOldest tree in Artsakh. Its trunk is hollow. Also known as "Sose's Tree".
Stara Maslina2,000Olive
Olea europaea		Stari Bar, BarMontenegro
The Pechanga Great Oak Tree2,000Coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia		Temecula, CaliforniaUnited StatesOldest oak tree in the United States, possibly in the world.
?2,000Olive
Olea europaea		Tavira, AlgarvePortugalPossibly oldest olive tree in Portugal.[37]
?2,000Olive
Olea europaea		Exo Hora, ZakynthosGreece[38]
?2,000Yew
Taxus		Sochi, Krasnodar KraiRussiaA grove known to possess several 2,000-year-old specimens.[39]
Houkisugi at Nakagawa2,000Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica		Nakagawa Settlement, Yamakita town, Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa PrefectureJapan
Methuselah1,800Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens		Woodside, CaliforniaUnited States[40]
Araucaria Madre1,800Araucaria AraucanaAraucaníaChileLocated in Parque Nacional Conguillío. 1,800 rings account for at least 1,800 years.[41]
Granit oak1,700Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		GranitBulgaria
Kongeegen1,500–2,000Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		Jægerspris Nordskov, ZealandDenmark[42]
Stelmužė Oak1,500-2,000Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur		Stelmužė, ZarasaiLithuaniaOldest tree in the Baltic states. Supposedly oldest oak in Europe.
Aubépines1,500Common hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna		Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, MayenneFranceOldest tree in France.
Seven Sisters Oak1,500Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana		Mandeville, LouisianaUnited StatesHighly speculative; live oaks are extremely difficult to age, and rarely live more than 500 years.[43]
Jardine Juniper1,500Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum		Logan Canyon, UtahUnited States[44]
Árbol del Tule1,433–1,600Montezuma cypress
Taxodium mucronatum		Santa María del Tule, OaxacaMexicoStoutest tree trunk in the world. Its name translates as the "Tule Tree".
Cedars of God1000+Cedrus libani
Cedars of Lebanon		Mount LebanonLebanonOldest forest of cedars in Lebanon[45]
Te Matua Ngahere1,200–4,000Kauri
Agathis australis		Waipoua Forest, NorthlandNew ZealandOldest tree in New Zealand. Its name translates as "Father of the Forest".
Algarrobo Abuelo+ 1,200Algarrobo blanco
Prosopis chilensis		Merlo Forest, Merlo, San LuisArgentinaOldest tree in Central Argentina.

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.

NameAge
(years)		SpeciesLocationCountryNotes
Pando80,000[46]–1,000,000[47]Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides		Fishlake National Forest, UtahUnited StatesCovers 107 acres (0.43 km2) and has around 47,000 stems (average age 130 years), which continually die and are renewed by its roots. Is also the heaviest-known organism, weighing 6,000 tonnes.
Jurupa Oak[48]13,000[49]Palmer oak
Quercus palmeri		Jurupa Mountains, CaliforniaUnited StatesQuercus palmeri Engelm. = Quercus dunnii Kellogg.[49]
Old Tjikko9,550Norway spruce
Picea abies		Fulufjället National Park, DalarnaSwedenThe tree's stems live no more than 600 years, but its root system's age[50][51] was established using carbon dating and genetic matching.[52] Elsewhere in the Fulu mountains, 20 spruces have been found older than 8,000 years.[53]
Old Rasmus9,500Norway spruce
Picea abies		Sonfjället, HärjedalenSweden[54]
unknown3,000[55]–10,000[56]Huon Pine
Lagarostrobos franklinii		Mount Read, TasmaniaAustraliaSeveral 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.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Not named yet
  2. ↑ 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".[7] The age given here is based on this reference point.

References

  1. ↑ Grant, Michael C. (1 October 1993). "The Trembling Giant". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  2. ↑ "Botanical Record-Breakers". W.P Armstrong. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  3. ↑ "Quaking Aspen". National Park Service - Bryce Canyon. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  4. ↑ "SPECIES: Populus tremuloides". USDA - United States Forest Service. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Native Conifers of Tasmania". Paks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  6. 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 "Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, OLDLIST". Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pinus longaeva". Gymnosperm Database. March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  8. ↑ "RMTRR OLDLIST". www.rmtrr.org. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Parque Nacional Alerce Costero". Conaf.cl (in Spanish). National Forest Corporation. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ 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
  13. ↑ Worrall, John (1990). "Subalpine Larch: Oldest Trees in Canada?". The Forestry Chronicle. 66: 478–479. doi:10.5558/tfc66478-5.
  14. ↑ 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. Dendrochronology and Environmental Trends - Proceedings of the International Conference. Kaunas, Lithuania: Vytautas Magnas University Department of Environmental Sciences.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Schulman, E. (1956). Dendroclimatic Changes in Semiarid America. Tucson: Univ. of Ariz. Press.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ "Oldest yew tree found in Turkey's north,". Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  20. ↑ Encyclopædia Iranica, s.v.
  21. ↑ "Trees in ancient Iran". Earthwatchers. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  22. ↑ Pavuk, Amy. "'The Senator' Catches Fire". Orlando Sentinel. Times Newspaper. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  23. ↑ Scheper, J. "Florida's Big Tree". Floridata.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  24. ↑ http://www.icnf.pt/portal/florestas/aip/resource/docs/certificados/KNJ1-478-Declaracao.pdf
  25. ↑ "FLORESTAS — ICNF" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  26. ↑ "Alishan Forest Recreation area has new "tree king"". Taipei Times. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  27. ↑ "A Luras il patriarca degli olivastri millenari d'Europa" (PDF) (in Italian). COMUNE DI LURAS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-11.
  28. ↑ Botosso, Paulo Cesar (November 2002). "Conhecer a Idade das Árvores: Importância e Aplicação" (PDF). Embrapa Florestas. Documentos 75: 25.
  29. ↑ "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.
  30. ↑ "The General Sherman Tree - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. ↑ Flora and Fauna Fact Sheet (Web Japan)
  33. ↑ Miyazaki, Makoto. "The old men of the mountains". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  34. ↑ "Locals want quarries out of Çığlıkara Forest,". Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  35. ↑ Bevan-Jones, Robert (2004). The ancient yew: a history of Taxus baccata. Bollington: Windgather Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 0-9545575-3-0.
  36. ↑ "The Olive Tree and Olive Oil". Sfakia-crete.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  37. ↑ "The oldest olive tree in Europe". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  38. ↑ "the-oldest-olive-tree pictures, videos and albums". Webshots.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  39. ↑ "О Кавказе". Wwf.ru. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  40. ↑ ""Methuselah" Redwood - Woodside, California". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  41. ↑ ""Parque de Araucarias Araucanas" - Chile: La edad milenaria e indefinida de las Araucarias Araucanas". parquedearaucarias.blogspot.cl. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  42. ↑ "Kong Frederik den Syvendes Stiftelse Paa Jægerspris". Kongfrederik.dk. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  43. ↑
  44. ↑ "Jardine Juniper Trail". Utahmountainbiking.com. 2001-08-31. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  45. ↑ The Gymnosperm Database - Cedrus libani (December, 2011) http://www.conifers.org/pi/Cedrus_libani.php
  46. ↑ Quaking Aspen by the Bryce Canyon National Park Service
  47. ↑ Genetic Variation and the Natural History of Quaking Aspen, Mitton, J. B. & Grant, M. C. (1996). BioScience 46 (1): 25-31.
  48. ↑ Connor, Steve (Science Editor), "At 13,000 years, tree is world's oldest organism", The Independent (newspaper), United Kingdom, December 23, 2009, online article December 22, 2009.
  49. 1 2 May, Michael R.; Provance, Mitchell C.; Sanders, Andrew C.; Ellstrand, Norman C.; and Ross-Ibarra, Jeffrey, "A Pleistocene Clone of Palmer's Oak Persisting in Southern California", PLoS ONE, Vol. 4, Issue 12, December, 2009.
  50. ↑ "Swedes find 'world's oldest tree'". BBC News. 17 April 2008.
  51. ↑ Owen, James (14 April 2008). "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic.
  52. ↑ "World's oldest living tree discovered in Sweden". Swedish Research Council. 16 April 2008.
  53. ↑ Roger Highfield (17 April 2008). "World's oldest tree discovered in Sweden". London: The Daily Telegraph.
  54. ↑ Swedish dn.se
  55. ↑ "The Oldest Living Tasmanian: The Huon Pine". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  56. ↑ "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic News. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
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