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

Name Age (years) Species Location Notes
? 5,064 Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva 		White Mountains, California, United States Oldest known currently living tree. Tree cored by Edmund Schulman, age determined by Tom Harlan.[6]
Methuselah 4,846[nb 1] Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva 		Inyo County, California, United States [6]
Prometheus (WPN-114) 4,844 Great Basin bristlecone pine
Pinus longaeva 		Wheeler Peak, Nevada, United States Cut down in 1964.[6]
Gran Abuelo 3,644 Patagonian cypress
Fitzroya cupressoides 		Cordillera Pelada, Los Ríos, Chile Alive.[6][8] Located within Alerce Costero National Park.[9]
CBR26 3,266 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Dead.[6]
D-21 3,220 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Dead.[6]
The President 3,200 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Alive.[6]
D-23 3,075 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Dead.[6]
CMC 3 3,033 Giant sequoia
Sequoiadendron giganteum 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Dead.[6]
Scofield Juniper 2,675 Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States Dead.[6]
CB-90-11 2,457 Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine
Pinus aristata 		central Colorado, United States [6][10]
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi 2,302 Sacred fig
Ficus religiosa 		Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka A 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]
? 2,200 Coast Redwood
Sequoia sempervirens 		northern California, United States Dead.[6]
Bennett Juniper 2,200 Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States [6]
SHP 7 2,110 Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana 		Sierra Nevada California, United States [6]
? 1,941 Subalpine Larch
Larix lyallii 		Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada [6][11]
CRE 175 1,889 Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum 		northern New Mexico, United States [6]
Miles Juniper 1,826 Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States [6][12]
? 1,803 Sugi
Cryptomeria japonica 		Yakushima Island, Japan[13]
KET 3996 1,717 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis 		Ketchum, Idaho, United States [6][14]
BFR-46 1,697 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis 		Wasatch Mountains, Utah, United States [6]
FL117 1,676 Northern Whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis 		Ontario, Canada [6][15]
ERE 1,670 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis 		northern New Mexico, United States [6]
RCR 1 1,666 Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States [6]
? 1,661 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis 		South Park, Colorado, United States [6]
BBL 2 1,649 Foxtail Pine
Pinus balfouriana 		Sierra Nevada, California, United States [6]
BCK 69 1,648 Baldcypress
Taxodium distichum 		Bladen County, North Carolina, United States [6][16]
? 1,636 Nootka Cypress
Callitropsis nootkatensis 		Vancouver Island, Canada [6]
FL101 1,567 Northern Whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis 		Ontario, Canada [6]
? 1,542 Limber Pine
Pinus flexilis 		central Colorado, United States [6]

Old trees with estimated ages

Name Age (years) Species Location Notes
Llangernyw Yew 4,000-5,000 Common Yew
Taxus baccata 		Llangernyw, Conwy, North Wales Girth of 10.75m. Situated in the churchyard of St. Dygain's Church in Llangernyw village. One of the 50 Great British Trees.
Sacred Banyan tree 5,000 Banyan
Ficus benghalensis 		Jyotisar, Haryana, India An ancient dying tree where, according to Hindus, Lord Krishna delivered his holy message of Bhagavad Gita.[17]
Sarv-e Abarkuh 4,000 Mediterranean cypress
Cupressus sempervirens 		Abarkuh, Yazd, Iran Also called "Zoroastrian Sarv".[18][19]
The Senator 3,500 Pond cypress
Taxodium ascendens 		Longwood, Florida, United States Destroyed by fire on January 16, 2012[20][21]
Alishan Sacred Tree 3,000 Formosan cypress
Chamaecyparis formosensis 		Alishan National Scenic Area, Chiayi, Taiwan Collapsed on July 1, 1997, following heavy rainstorms.[22]
S’Ozzastru 3,000–4,000 Olive
Olea europaea 		Luras, Sardinia, Italy [23]
Patriarca da Floresta 3,000 Cariniana legalis Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, Brazil Probably the oldest non-conifer in Brazil. Its name translates as "Patriarch of the Forest".
Oliveira de Santa Iria de Azóia 2,850 Olive
Olea europaea 		Santa Iria de Azóia, Portugal Magnific 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
Unnamed 2,850 Olive
Olea europaea 		Loures, Lisboa, Portugal Alive.[24]
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".
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.[25][26][27]
Ballyconnell Yew 2,000–5,000 European yew
Taxus baccata 		Ballyconnell, Annagh, Ireland Oldest tree in Ireland and possibly in Europe.
Fortingall Yew 2,000–3,000 European yew
Taxus baccata 		Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland Possibly the oldest tree in Britain[28]
Elia Vouvon 2,000–5,000 Olive
Olea europaea 		Kolymvari, Crete, Greece Its name translates as "Olive Tree of Vouves".[29]
Castagnu dê Centu Cavaddi 2,000–4,000 Sweet chestnut
Castanea sativa 		Sicily, Italy Its name translates as the "Hundred Horse Chestnut".
Te Matua Ngahere 2,000–3,000 Kauri
Agathis australis 		Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand Oldest tree in New Zealand. Its name translates as "Father of the Forest".
Ulleungdo Hyangnamu 2,000–3,000 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".
Tnjri 2,000 Oriental plane
Platanus orientalis 		Martuni Region, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Oldest tree in Nagorno-Karabakh. 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 Tree 2,000 Coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia 		Temecula, California, United States Oldest oak tree in the United States, possibly in the world.
? 2,000 Olive
Olea europaea 		Tavira, Algarve, Portugal Oldest tree in Portugal.[30]
? 2,000 Olive
Olea europaea 		Exo Hora, Zakynthos, Greece [31]
? 2,000 Yew
Taxus 		Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia A grove known to possess several 2,000-year-old specimens.[32]
Houkisugi at Nakagawa 2,000 Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria japonica 		Nakagawa Settlement, Yamakita town, Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Kongeegen 1,500–2,000 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur 		Jægerspris Nordskov, Zealand, Denmark [33]
Methuselah 1,800Coast redwood
Sequoia sempervirens		Woodside, California, United States [34]
Granit oak 1,700 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur 		Granit, Bulgaria
Aubépines 1,500 Common hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna 		Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne, France Oldest tree in France.
Angel Oak 1,500 Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana 		Charleston, South Carolina, United States Highly speculative, live oaks are extremely difficult to age, and rarely live more than 500 years.[35]
Seven Sisters Oak 1,500 Southern live oak
Quercus virginiana 		Mandeville, Louisiana, United States Highly speculative, live oaks are extremely difficult to age, and rarely live more than 500 years.[35]
Stelmužė Oak 1,500 Pedunculate oak
Quercus robur 		Stelmužė, Zarasai, Lithuania Oldest tree in the Baltic states.
Jardine Juniper 1,500 Rocky Mountain juniper
Juniperus scopulorum 		Logan Canyon, Utah, United States [36]
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".
Henryków Yew 1270 European yew
Taxus baccata 		Henryków Lubański, Poland Oldest tree in Poland.[37]

| Salvadora oleiodes || 2000 || Wun or Peelu
Salasola|| Chak 139 RB Ghammi, Pakistan || very old tree in pakistan

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.

Name Age (years) Species Location Notes
Pando 80,000[38]–1,000,000[39] Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides 		Fishlake National Forest, Utah, United States Covers 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[40] 13,000[41] Palmer oak
Quercus palmeri 		Jurupa Mountains, California, United States Quercus palmeri Engelm. = Quercus dunnii Kellogg.[41]
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[42][43] was established using carbon dating and genetic matching.[44] Elsewhere in the Fulu mountains, 20 spruces have been found older than 8,000 years.[45]
Old Rasmus 9,500 Norway spruce
Picea abies 		Härjedalen, Sweden [46]
? 3,000[47]–10,000[48] 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.[5]

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".[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. 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. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Native Conifers of Tasmania". Paks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 "Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, OLDLIST". Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Pinus longaeva". Gymnosperm Database. March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  8. ↑ 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. doi:10.1126/science.260.5111.1104. PMID 17806339.
  9. ↑ "Parque Nacional Alerce Costero". Conaf.cl (in Spanish). National Forest Corporation. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Worrall, John (1990). "Subalpine Larch: Oldest Trees in Canada?". The Forestry Chronicle 66: 478–479. doi:10.5558/tfc66478-5.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Suzuki, Eizi; Tsukahara, Jun (1987). "Age structure and regeneration of old growth Cryptomeria japonica forests on Yakushima Island". J. of Plant Research 100 (3): 223–241. doi:10.1007/BF02492832.
  14. ↑ Schulman, E. (1956). Dendroclimatic Changes in Semiarid America. Tucson: Univ. of Ariz. Press.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Sacred banyan tree from Bhagavad Gita slowing dying". Mother nature network. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  18. ↑ Encyclopædia Iranica, s.v.
  19. ↑ "Trees in ancient Iran". Earthwatchers. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  20. ↑ Pavuk, Amy. "'The Senator' Catches Fire". Orlando Sentinel. Times Newspaper. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  21. ↑ Scheper, J. "Florida's Big Tree". Floridata.com. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  22. ↑ "Alishan Forest Recreation area has new "tree king"". Taipei Times. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  23. ↑ "A Luras il patriarca degli olivastri millenari d'Europa" (in Italian). COMUNE DI LURAS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-11.
  24. ↑ "UTAD classificou oliveira com 2.850 anos!" (in Portuguese). CienciaPT. 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ Flora and Fauna Fact Sheet (Web Japan)
  27. ↑ Miyazaki, Makoto. "The old men of the mountains". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  28. ↑ Bevan-Jones, Robert (2004). The ancient yew: a history of Taxus baccata. Bollington: Windgather Press. pp. 38–39. ISBN 0-9545575-3-0.
  29. ↑ "The Olive Tree and Olive Oil". Sfakia-crete.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  30. ↑ "The oldest olive tree in Europe". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  31. ↑ "the-oldest-olive-tree pictures, videos and albums". Webshots.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  32. ↑ "О Кавказе". Wwf.ru. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  33. ↑ "Kong Frederik den Syvendes Stiftelse Paa Jægerspris". Kongfrederik.dk. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  34. ↑ ""Methuselah" Redwood - Woodside, California". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Koder, K Live Oak, Pillars of a Nation. http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/resources/library/citations/live-oak-pillars-of-a-nation/fss_get/file
  36. ↑ "Jardine Juniper Trail". Utahmountainbiking.com. 2001-08-31. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  37. ↑ Seneta, Włodzimierz (1987). Dendrologia. PWN. ISBN 83-01-07011-0.
  38. ↑ Quaking Aspen by the Bryce Canyon National Park Service
  39. ↑ Genetic Variation and the Natural History of Quaking Aspen, Mitton, J. B. & Grant, M. C. (1996). BioScience 46 (1): 25-31.
  40. ↑ 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.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 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.
  42. ↑ "Swedes find 'world's oldest tree'". BBC News. 17 April 2008.
  43. ↑ Owen, James (14 April 2008). "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic.
  44. ↑ "World's oldest living tree discovered in Sweden". Swedish Research Council. 16 April 2008.
  45. ↑ Roger Highfield (17 April 2008). "World's oldest tree discovered in Sweden". London: The Daily Telegraph.
  46. ↑ Swedish dn.se
  47. ↑ "The Oldest Living Tasmanian: The Huon Pine". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
  48. ↑ "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic News. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2013-01-11.