Have you ever wondered which are the oldest trees in the world? It’s not as simple an answer as you might think at first. In fact, it is much more complicated than it seems.
And it is that, although there is a ranking of the oldest trees in the world on Wikipedia, and you can use it to discover the oldest, just ask a simple question on Google and many more will appear suddenly. So here you have a selection, but there are surely more.
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Old Tjikko, Sweden
Old Tjikko is the name under which we found the oldest tree in the world. And it is that, according to the carbon 14 test, to which they subjected this tree, it is more than 9500 years old.
Now that’s a bit “cheating”. And it is that this age is that which the roots have. It is a Picea abies and it only has such a long lifespan in the part of the roots. It turns out that the trunk and all that can be seen of this tree is much younger, only a few hundred years old.
That’s why they may not consider it one of the oldest trees in the world. But it’s not to blame this tree so that it can regenerate over time and grow at the root level.
Sunland Baobab, South Africa
Another of the world’s oldest trees found while browsing the internet, and older than that almost everyone knows it as the oldest, it is a gigantic baobab, so big that inside there is a bar with a games room. And he even came to have his website (don’t try to look for it because apparently it’s gone).
Great-grandfather, Chile
It is in fact a millennial larch. This 2023 will be 5485 years old and it is said to be the oldest tree in the world.
It is located in the Alerce Costero National Park and right now you can see that it is starting to deteriorate, which is why scientists estimate that it will not have long to live (although a few hundred may l ‘be).
Visually, it is a tall tree. So much so that it measures 50 meters and has a trunk with a perimeter of 11 centimeters.
Methuselah, California
Or Methuselah, as it can also be called, was for many years considered the oldest (uncloned) tree in the world. Howeverif we take into account that the previous one is even older, as long as the theory by which the age was estimated is confirmed, we would be facing the second. It is a Pinus longaeva located in the White Mountains (the exact location is not known to prevent people from rushing to see it).
patagonian cypress
We continue with the oldest trees in the world. In this case we found a group of Austrocedrus chilensis) native to Argentina and Chile. It was estimated, at first, that they were around 3600 years old.
However, subsequent research on them has led to analyzes warning that they are, with an 80% chance, trees over 5,000 years old (they have been estimated to be around 5,400 years old).
Yew Llangernym, Europe
Source: Wikiwand.jpg
We moved to Europe, specifically to Llangernym, Wales. Here’s a yew that, from what they dated, it is over 4000 years old. It is a large tree 13 meters long and with a circumference of 11.
However, it comes with a caption. Apparently he is cursed. Located next to a church, where lives a spirit, Angelystor, who predicts on Halloween which people will die the following year.
Sarv-e Abarqu, Iran
Also known as Zoroastrian Sarv, it is a cypress tree found in Yazd, Iran, and quand is estimated to be around 4000 years old. It is said to be the oldest tree in Asia.
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, Sri Lanka
This tree is not as old as the previous ones, since it is estimated to be around 2309 years old. However, we want you to know because it is the only tree known to have been planted by man, as well as the exact date it was made.
It seems, it is said of him that he was a child of the Bodhi tree in which the Buddha was enlightened. This offspring passed into the hands of Sanghamitra, the daughter of Emperor Ashoka who, around 288 BC. planted it And to this day it is still alive.
Olivier de Vouves, Greece
On the island of Crete grows one of the oldest olive trees, and still active, because he throws olives and all. It is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, although the exact age cannot be known.
Millennial Yew, Jaén
If we get even closer, specifically to Spain. We find a yew that is over 2,000 years old. It is located in the Sierra de Cazorla, in Jaén.
Visually, it is said to be twice the height and width of a normal yew.
If you want to see it, you will have to look for the Sendero de los Tejos Milenarios route on foot. After about 30 minutes you will be able to reach a place full of yews but there will be one that will stand out from the rest. It is this tree.
millennial cedar
Source: Daily Agora
And as in Spain we like to do things twice, In the Canary Islands we find another of the oldest trees in the world, over 1400 years old.
Named Patriarch (although in reality he is known to be female and should be Matriarch), he is a Juniperus cedrus who lives in Montaña Rajada, Teide National Park, Tenerife.
So if you thought the oldest would be by Drago millenario, we’re sorry but no. This one is a little over 800 years old.
As you see, There are many of the oldest trees in the world. And that we only told you about those that are alive, because at this point many more trees have perished. Do you know of others that we have not mentioned?