Have you ever wondered about the oldest trees in the world? I have listed the oldest and still alive trees found so far in this list.
Before talking about the oldest living trees, it is useful to mention some of the oldest known trees, even though they are now living.
The tree fossil named Wattieza in New York in 2007 passed the record as the oldest known tree. This tree lived 385 million years ago in the Middle Devonian period.
Prior to that, a tree called Archeopteris was considered the oldest tree. This tree lived in the period from Upper Devonian period to Lower Carboniferous period. (383 million - 323 million)
Unfortunately, a tree that you will not find on the list of live trees below is the log Prometheus, located in Wheeler Hill in eastern Nevada, USA.
In 1964 the Great Basin was cut by a research student who did not realize that the bristlecone pine was the oldest living tree in the world at that time. The tree that took the name of the legendary figure Prometheus, who gave the people by stealing the fire of the gods, was thought to be at least 4,626 years old.
These are the oldest trees that still survive today.
1 . Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (Sacred Indian fig) - Sri Lanka
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, known as the Buddha's tree of enlightenment, is the oldest living tree in the world known to be planted by a human. The planting date is exactly 288 BC.
AGE: 2305
2 . President – California, USA
A gigantic sequoia, the "President" is the third largest tree of the world according to the degree of trunk volume, and is the fifth oldest clonal tree in the world. By 2012, the trunk volume was measured as 1,300 cubic meters.
AGE: 3200
3 . Oliveira do Mouchão – Portugal
The Oliveira do Mouchão tree is an olive tree in Portugal and at the same time one of Europe's oldest trees.
Before his age was fully identified, he was in danger of being destroyed for road construction.
Vouves in the island of Crete, Greece, is one of the oldest olive trees in the world, along with the olive tree, and still produces olives today despite thousands of years of history.
4 . El Gran Abuelo – Chile
Gran Abuelo or Alerce Milenario is thought to be 3,622 years old.
The oldest living tree in South America was named Fitzroyia cupressoides, in honor of Robert Fitzroy, the captain of Charles Darwin's ship.
AGE: 3622
5 . Llangernyw Yew Tree - United Kingdom
Llangernyw yew is one of the oldest male yew trees living in the garden of Saint Digain Church in Llangernyw village.
The tree, which has been shattered and has lost its core, contains a lot of enormous scions. The tree is 10.75 meters above ground level.
Although the age of yew trees is very difficult to determine, according to a survey conducted in 2002, it is thought to be 4,000 to 5,000 years old.
AGE: 4.000 - 5.000
6 . Sarv-e Abarkuh – Iranian
In the city of Yazd in Iran, a cypress tree called Sarv-e Abarqu or Zoroastrian Sarv.
It is estimated that the tree is at least 4000 years old and is considered a cultural monument of Iran. The tree is also an important tourist center with a height of 25 meters and a diameter of 18 meters.
AGE: 4.000
7 . The yew tree - Zonguldak, Turkey
The tree discovered in 2016 in Zonguldak was exactly 4112 years old and became the world's oldest Badger tree.
The Porsuk tree (Taxus baccata), dated to the Bronze Age, appeared to be the oldest known tree of Anatolia. The tree was also among the oldest trees in the world at the same time.
One of the gratifying results of the examinations is that the tree is still very healthy and can last at least 4,000 years as long as it is not harmed by humans.
AGE: 4112
8 . Methuselah – California, USA
The White Mountains in California are home to the oldest trees in the world. Methuselah is 4845 years old and the oldest known tree in this region.
The Pinus Longaeva species, Methuselah, was thought to be the oldest non-clonal organism in the world. In 2002, another tree was taken to its place.
AGE: 4845
9 . Old Hara – California, USA
Old Hara is the oldest non-clonal tree in the world and has a fascinating story behind it.
Pinus longaeva, also known as the Great Basin bristlecone pine, is a long-lived species of bristlecone pine at high altitudes in the mountains of California, Nevada and Utah.
Old Hara is the oldest nonclonal tree with a history of 5,067 years, confirmed in the White Mountains in California.
The tree was dated by Tom Harlan in 2012 and found to be 5,067 years old. The exact location of the tree is kept secret to protect it, and unfortunately there is no photograph of the tree on the internet.
AGE: 5.067
10 . Old Tjikko - Sweden
Old Tjikko, estimated to be at least 9,558 years old, is a clonal tree; which means that it has renewed new branches, bodices and roots for millennia.
Old Tjikko is the third oldest clonal tree and the oldest European Ladini in the world. Elsewhere in the mountains of Fulufjället, 20 different plants were thought to be older than 8,000.
AGE: 9.558
11 . Jurupa Meşesi – California, USA
Jurupa Meşesi is a clonal colony of cross-berry trees in California.
It is thought to be the oldest plant in California and the second oldest clonal plant in the world. Jurupa Meşesi survived from the fires of the bushes and the 13,000-year-old devastation as much as the day-to-day life.
AGE: 13,000
12 . Pando – Utah, USA
Pando, also known as the Trembling Devi, is a giant clonal colon of a male trembling, identified as a single organism.
Pando is the oldest clonal tree colony in the world, more than 80,000 years old. At the same time, an estimated 6,000,000 kilograms of Pando is the world's heaviest living organism.
AGE: 80,000