Most of us have witnessed gigantic sky-scraping woods in Fantasy or sci-fi movies in an animated version. But what if we say those majestic plants do exist in our real world? Wouldn’t it be more surprising? Plants that germinated during the Jurassic period are still surviving in this modern world with unbelievable immensity. Read on to learn more about the top 10 oldest trees in the world.
Top 20 Oldest Trees in the World
1. Methuselah
Methuselah is the ancient biblical figure who is known as the longest-living person in the world. Hence, it is decided to honor the oldest tree with the same name. Based on its structure and formation, Methuselah germination dates back to 2833 BC. Now it is a 4855-year-old tree that remains unshakable in this contemporary world. Tom Harlan and Edmund Schulman are the two persons who discovered its miraculous existence.
Who lived more than 900 years in the bible?
- A. Methusaleh
- B. David
- C. Abraham
- D. Jacob
The US Forest Service hesitated to reveal the exact location of the Methuselah tree to avoid trespassers and vandalism.
2. Sarv-e Abarqu
Abarkuh cypress is one of the oldest trees which has been living for more than 4000 years. This tree is grown in the Iranian city of Abarkuh. Cypress trees have a unique place in Iranian culture and history. According to a legend, the cypress was planted by Zoroaster, the Iranian Prophet, and Japeth, the third son of Noah. The legendary Persian cypress is a national monument protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran.
3. Llangernyw Yew
Yew is deep-rooted in the churchyard of St. Dygain’s Church in Llangernyw village, North Wales, United Kingdom. As per assumption, the sapling might have been planted around the Bronze Age. David Bellamy, the English botanist, author, and broadcaster provided a certificate to the church claiming that the tree is 4000 to 5000 years old based on the church records.
In celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, the tree is named one of the great British Trees by the Tree Council. Interestingly, this tree is often linked to the old Welsh mythology–Angelystor(The Recording Angel), who visits every Halloween to foretell which parishioners will die the next year.
4. Alerce
Alerce, also known as Grand Abuelo is native to the Andes Mountains. Grand Abuelo means great grandfather in Spanish. It is located in Alerce Costero National Park in Chile. Grand Abuelo is the oldest tree in America grown up to 60 m tall, with a 4m diameter, and a 11 m perimeter. The magnificent tree is 3,673 years old when the age was estimated using chronology. The scientists say that Grand Abuelo might have sprouted around 1, 500 BCE and believe that it would be the second largest tree in America after the Bristlepine tree.
5. Patriarca da Floresta
This 2000-year-old species belongs to the family of Cariniana Legalis located in Brazil. There is a belief that the tree might have been sacred. The species are on the brink of extinction due to deforestation in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
6. The Senator
He got his name from the person who planted him–Sen. O.M. Overstreet. The Senator stands gallantly with pride as the oldest and tallest bald cypress tree in the world. In 2012, the tree survived the fire which destroyed the fellow species, no wonder why the senator is considered the greatest. The tree is 38 m tall (125 ft) and has a circumference of 10.7 m (35 ft). A few years back, it was measured 50 m tall (165 ft). Unfortunately, the top of the tree was damaged due to the hurricane. The senator is a landmark for the Seminole Indians and other native tribes.
7. The Hyperion
The Hyperion is the world’s largest tree grown in the heart of Redwood National Park in California. They are the tallest and oldest trees belonging to the family of sequoia sempervirens.
The tree’s existence dates back to the Jurassic period. The Hyperion grew 379.1 feet and existed for more than 700 to 800 years. The Hyperion is inaccessible to hikers, climbers, and other explorers and is forbidden by the National Park Service.
8. Pando
The Trembling Giant aka Pando is a clonal male of quaking aspen that grows in Utah on 106 acres. Pando is a clonal colony tree that doesn’t have a singular trunk but is connected to a single root. Thousands of stems are interconnected and each one is genetically related to other trees even if it is found 12, 000 miles away. Pando is considered to be 80,000 years old with a weight of 6,600 tons.
9. Olive Tree of Vouves
The oldest olive trees are located on the Greek Island of Crete. Among the seven olive trees, one remains 7000 to 8000 years old. The exact age is not identified but the Olive tree of Vouves is the oldest among them estimated 3000 years old. Olives are still cultivated from the tree and it is costly.
10. General Sherman
Giant Sequoia is a gigantic tree of 52, 550 feet standing tall in the National Sequoia Park. This tree is also referred to as General Sherman who is incredibly big in length and width. It is 25,000 years old and the largest non-clonal tree in the world even with its broken trunk.
11. Jurupa Oak
Jurupa Oak aka Hurungna Oak is a clonal colony tree of Quercus Palmeri located in California.
As they spread through clonal production the species survived for thousands of years it seems. It is the strongest and oldest oak tree ever. The remarkable thing about the Jurupa Oak is that the species usually grows in wetter and mountainous areas but Jurupa is a dried place with lower altitudes.
12. Fitzroya Cupressoides
It comes from the cypress family in a monotypic genus. Fitzroya is a tall and oldest tree in the world that grows in the Andes Mountains and Coastal region of south Chile. This tree is also referred to as alerce, lahuen, and patagonian cypress. Considered the largest tree in South America which can grow up to 70 m with a 5m diameter.
13. Old Tjikko
Tallest branches and thin trunks may make us wonder if it is really old. Believe it or not, this 16-foot tree is 10,000 years old. Unlike the Pando and Jurupa, Tjikko is not a clonal plant to multiply but it sprouts new branches and parts from its single stem. It is the world’s oldest single-rooted clonal tree. The tree trunk seems to be hundred years old while the stem is about 10,000 years old.
14. Kalaloch Big Cedar
Kalaloch is situated in Olympic National Park, Forks, Washington. Growing up since the Viking era, this big cedar tree is so strong compared to other trees in the forests. Botanists estimated that Kalaloch might be 1000 years old. The scars on the bark and deep cut narrates its endurance during hard times. Through all these hurdles the tree still produces leaves and nurse trees.
15. Arbol Del Tule
The Tree of Tule is the Spanish meaning of Arbol Del Tule which is put up in Santa Maria del Tule in the Mexican State of Oaxaca. The heavily grown trunk alone makes it one of the oldest and largest trees in the world. It is a Montezuma cypress which has a Nahuatl name called ahuehuete meaning “old man of the water”.
16. Jomon Sugi
Jomon is founded in Yakushima, Japan. This cryptomeria tree is the largest and oldest on the Island. Approximately, it is 2000 years old but some scientists believe it might be 3000 years old.
17. Chestnut Trees of One Hundred Horses
It is the largest chestnut tree in the world located in Sicily, Italy. This tree’s location is quite popular as it already has active volcanoes in the world. Chestnut’s name derived from a legend when a hundred knights caught in a heavy thunderstorm found shelter under this tree. It is believed that the tree-covered 100 men.
18. Prometheus
Prometheus was considered the oldest before it went extinct in 1964. In fact, the tree is even older than Methuselah and other trees. It is grown in a grove in Wheeler Park, Nevada. In 1964, Geographer Donald R. Currey analyzed the samples of the tree and discovered that it was 4000 years old. Experts state that there are 4,862 rings on the wood, but the harsh conditions might have affected its growth.
19. Tilleul de Gérouville
Tilleul de Gérouville or Gérouville Linden is a 600-year-old tree located in Belgium. Gerouville was planted along with three saplings but none of them survived. But this one stood strongly until a storm weakened its roots. The tree was divided into pieces, and the trunk part now used a space little shack where nearly 5 to 6 members could sit.
20. Guayacán Centenario
Guayacan is located in Guanica State Forest, Puerto Rico. It is 700 to 1,400 years old and 30 to 40 feet tall. They are slow-growing trees so it will take a lot of years to reach their full height
Hope you gained some valuable information about the top 10 trees in the world. Don’t forget to read about the Whistler Tree aka Sobreiro Monument.