List of oldest trees

Old Tjikko is a 9,550 year old Norway Spruce tree, located on Fulufjället Mountain of Dalarna province in Sweden. It is the world's oldest living individual clonal tree.

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 center is missing that their age cannot be directly determined. Instead, estimates are made based on the tree's size and presumed growth rate. The last table includes trees with these estimated ages. The middle 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 record-holders for individual, non-clonal trees are Great Basin bristlecone pine trees from California and Nevada, in the United States. Through tree-ring cross-referencing, they have been shown to be almost 5,000 years 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 the United States, 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 1 hectare (2.5 acres) 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
Prometheus	4,862	Great Basin bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva	Wheeler Peak, Nevada, United States	Cut down in 1964.[6]
Methuselah	4,842	Great Basin bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva	Inyo County, California, United States	Oldest currently living tree.[6]
?	3,622	Patagonian cypress Fitzroya cupressoides	Alerce Andino National Park, Los Lagos, Chile	[6]
CBR26	3,266	Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
D-21	3,220	Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
D-23	3,075	Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
CMC 3	3,033	Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
Scofield Juniper	2,675	Western Juniper Juniperus occidentalis	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	Dead.[6]
CB-90-11	2,435	Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata	central Colorado, United States	[6]
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi	2,217	Sacred fig Ficus religiosa	Anuradhapura, North Central Province, Sri Lanka	A sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which 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	[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]
?	1,917	Subalpine Larch Larix lyallii	Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada	[6]
CRE 175	1,889	Foxtail Pine Juniperus scopulorum	northern New Mexico, United States	[6]
Miles Juniper	1,810	Western Juniper Juniperus occidentalis	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
?	1,776	Sugi Cryptomeria japonica	Yakushima Island, Japan	[7]
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]
KET 3996	1,659	Limber Pine Pinus flexilis	Ketchum, Idaho, United States	[6]
FL117	1,653	Northern Whitecedar Thuja occidentalis	Ontario, Canada	[6]
BBL 2	1,649	Foxtail Pine Pinus balfouriana	Sierra Nevada, California, United States	[6]
?	1,636	Nootka Cypress Callitropsis nootkatensis	Vancouver Island, Canada	[6]
BCK 69	1,622	Baldcypress Taxodium distichum	Bladen County, North Carolina, United States	[6]
FL101	1,567	Northern Whitecedar Thuja occidentalis	Ontario, Canada	[6]
?	1,542	Limber Pine Pinus flexilis	central Colorado, United States	[6]

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.^[8]

Name	Age (years)	Species	Location	Notes
Pando	80,000[9] - 1,000,000[10]	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[11]	13,000[12]	Palmer oak Quercus palmeri	Jurupa Mountains, California, United States	Quercus palmeri Engelm. = Quercus dunnii Kellogg.[12]
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[13][14] was established using carbon dating and genetic matching.[15] Elsewhere in the Fulu mountains, 20 spruces have been found older than 8,000 years.[16]
Old Rasmus	9,500	Norway spruce Picea abies	Härjedalen, Sweden	[17]
?	3,000[18] - 10,000[19]	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]

Old trees with estimated ages

Name	Age (years)	Species	Location	Notes
Llangernyw Yew	4,000	European yew Taxus baccata	Llangernyw, Wales, United Kingdom	[20]
Sarv-e-Abarkooh	4,000	Mediterranean cypress Cupressus sempervirens	Abarkuh, Yazd, Iran	Also called 'Zoroastrian Sarv'.[21][22]
Tisbury Yew Tree	4,000	European yew Taxus baccata	Tisbury, England, United Kingdom	[23]
Senator	3,500	Pond cypress Taxodium ascendens	Longwood, Florida, United States	[24]
Alishan Sacred Tree	3,000	Formosan cypress Chamaecyparis formosensis	Alishan National Scenic Area, Chiayi, Taiwan	Collapsed on July 1, 1997, following heavy rainstorms.[25]
Cormac's Tree	3,000	Olive Olea europaea	Sardinia, Italy	[26]
Patriarca da Floresta	3,000	Cariniana legalis	Brazil	Probably the oldest non-conifer in Brazil. Its name translates as 'Patriarch of the Forest'.
Oliveira de Santa Iria de Azóia	2,850	Olea europaea	Santa Iria de Azóia, Portugal	Magnific Olive tree, probably the last one from a big olive grove. Studied by UTAD University and now classified "Public interest tree" by the Portuguese National Forest Authority ; Tree ID
Unnamed	2,850	Oleaceae Olea europaea L.	Loures, Lisboa, Portugal	Alive.[27]
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.[28][29][30]
Ballyconnell Yew	2,000 - 5,000	European yew Taxus baccata	Ballyconnell, Annagh, Ireland	Oldest tree in Ireland and possibly in Europe[citation needed].
Fortingall Yew	2,000 - 5,000	European yew Taxus baccata	Fortingall, Perthshire, Scotland
Εlia Βouybōn	2,000 - 5,000	Olive Olea europaea	Kolymvari, Crete, Greece	Oldest olive tree in the world. Its name translates as 'Olive tree of Vouves'.[31]
Castagnu dê Centu Cavaddi	2,000 - 4,000	Sweet chestnut Castanea sativa	Sicily	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'.
Ankerwycke Yew	2,000 - 2,500	european yew Taxus baccate	Ankerwyke Island, Berkshire, UK	Historians agree this is the most obvious place for the signing of the Magna Carta on June 15 1215 [32]
Lady Liberty	2,000	Bald cypress Taxodium distichum	Longwood, Florida, United States	Sometimes called the 'Companion Tree' to 'Senator'.
S'khtorashen	2,000	Oriental plane Platanus orientalis	Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan	Oldest tree in Azerbaijan. 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.[33]
?	2,000	Olive Olea europaea	Exo Hora, Zakynthos, Greece	[34]
?	2,000	Yew Taxus	Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia	A grove known to possess several 2,000-year-old specimens.[35]
Granit oak	1,700	Pedunculate oak Quercus robur	Granit, Plovdiv, Bulgaria	This is not official; the oldest tree in Bulgaria is officially Baikushev's Pine, listed below.
Aubépines	1,500	Common hawthorn Crataegus monogyna	Saint-Mars-sur-la-Futaie, Mayenne, France	Oldest tree in France[citation needed].
Kongeegen	1,500	Pedunculate oak Quercus robur	Jægerspris Nordskov, Zealand, Denmark
Angel Oak	1,500	Southern live oak Quercus virginiana	Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Seven Sisters Oak	1,500	Southern live oak Quercus virginiana	Mandeville, Louisiana, United States
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'.

See also

Ecology portal

• King Clone
• List of largest giant sequoias
• List of trees
• List of long-living organisms
• List of old growth forests
• Veteran tree

References

1. ^ Grant, Michael C. (1993-10-01). "The Trembling Giant". Discover Magazine. http://discovermagazine.com/1993/oct/thetremblinggian285. Retrieved 2008-05-08. 
2. ^ "Botanical Record-Breakers". W.P Armstrong. http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0601.htm#massive. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
3. ^ "Quaking Aspen". National Park Service - Bryce Canyon. http://www.nps.gov/brca/naturescience/quakingaspen.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
4. ^ "SPECIES: Populus tremuloides". USDA - United States Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/poptre/all.html#BOTANICAL%20AND%20ECOLOGICAL%20CHARACTERISTICS. Retrieved 2008-05-08. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Native Conifers of Tasmania". Paks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania. http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/veg/pines.html. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z} Rocky Mountain Tree-Ring Research, OLDLIST, access date = July 3 2011
7. ^ Suzuki and Tsukahara 1987, access date = August 7 2011
8. ^ Gymnosperm Database (2 January 2007). "How Old Is That Tree?". http://www.conifers.org/topics/oldest.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-25. 
9. ^ Quaking Aspen by the Bryce Canyon National Park Service
10. ^ Genetic Variation and the Natural History of Quaking Aspen, Mitton, J. B. & Grant, M. C. (1996). BioScience 46 (1): 25-31.
11. ^ 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.
12. ^ ^{a b} 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.
13. ^ "Swedes find 'world's oldest tree'". BBC News. 2008-04-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7353357.stm. 
14. ^ Owen, James (2008-04-14). "Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden". National Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080414-oldest-tree.html. 
15. ^ "World's oldest living tree discovered in Sweden". Swedish Research Council. 2008-04-16. http://www.idw-online.de/pages/de/news255795. 
16. ^ Roger Highfield (2008-04-17). "World's oldest tree discovered in Sweden". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/04/17/eatree117.xml. 
17. ^ Swedish dn.se
18. ^ Oldest Living Tasmanian, The - The Huon Pine
19. ^ Tasmanian Huon Pines
20. ^ Joanna Billing (2004). "North Wales Coast and the Isle of Anglesey". The Hidden Places of Wales (3rd ed.). Travel Publishing. pp. 45–92. ISBN 9781904434078. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=o8NCt_7hltwC&pg=PT58. 
21. ^ Encyclopædia Iranica, s.v. [1]
22. ^ Earth watchers Center
23. ^ http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/salisbury/about-the-area/south-wiltshire-towns-and-villages/tisbury-and-old-wardour-castle
24. ^ Scheper, J.. "Florida's Big Tree". Floridata.com. http://www.floridata.com/tracks/TheSenator/page2.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
25. ^ Alishan Forest Recreation area has new "tree king"
26. ^ Italian isolasardegnanet.it
27. ^ http://www.cienciapt.net/pt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104157&Itemid=302
28. ^ Hobson, Jake (2007). Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way. Timber Press. pp. 86. ISBN 978-0881928358. http://books.google.com/?id=dR9074_8QioC&pg=PA86&dq=%22jomonsugi%22. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
29. ^ Flora and Fauna Fact Sheet (Web Japan)
30. ^ Miyazaki, Makoto. "The old men of the mountains". The Yomiuri Shimbun. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/columns/0005/lens190.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
31. ^ The Olive Tree and Olive Oil Sfakia, Crete, Greece
32. ^ Britian's Tree Story page 186
33. ^ The oldest olive tree in Europe - Exceptional Trees on Waymarking.com
34. ^ the-oldest-olive-tree pictures, videos and albums
35. ^ О Кавказе
36. ^ Jardine Juniper Trail