There Is A 5000-year-old Tree In The World! Yes, And That's In California
Some trees grow so old that their gnarly trunk becomes home to a wide variety of living creatures; the branches of some tangle like the hair of an old witch; some look like a wooden paintbrush for the sky. But how long can a tree live? A hundred years? Or rather a thousand? What if I tell you there is a 5000 years old tree? Well, there is no exaggeration! It exists, and you can find it in the higher mountains of California. Along with the bristlecone pine of California, there are trees as old as to appear ‘timeless’. Want to know about these oldest trees in the world? Read on and wish that they live thousands of years more!
1. Bristlecone Pine Tree, California
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to the strict prohibition of cutting trees in the White Mountains of California, the Great Basin is filled with the immensely bulky ancient trees. The first tree that was believed to be the oldest one in the world until 2012 was Methuselah tree, a bristlecone pine (scientifically called Pinus longaeva), with an age of 4,850 years. Later, it was superseded by another bristlecone pine found in the same area that is considered to be over 5000 years old. Now, that’s one big oldie, isn’t it?
2. Llangernyw Yew, North Wales
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Llangernyw Yew, the mighty feat of nature, has taken 4000 to 5000 years to grow. The oldest tree in the UK, this giant tree stays in the churchyard of St. Digain's Church in Llangernyw village of North Wales. Would you believe that this massive tree belongs to the age when Egyptian Pyramids were still a new construction? The locals also say that Llangernyw Yew is inhabited by an ancient spirit called Angelystor and the ones who challenged the spirit had to lose their life!
3. Sarv-e Abarkuh, Iran
Image Source: Flickr.com
The paradise-like Persian gardens and intricately designed Persian carpets might be the most famous things in Iran, but do you know that it houses a 4000-year-old tree? Sarv-e-Abarkuh, the old cypress of Iran with some of the strongest tree roots has been a witness to Iran’s 4000 years long turbulent past. Also known as Zoroastrian Sarv, this Mediterranean cypress tree has found its place in the National Natural Monuments.
4. The Senator Tree, Florida
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
On March 31, 2016, a 30-year old woman of Maitland was sent to jail. You know why? For setting fire to The Senator, a 3,500 years old tree that was beloved to everyone in the county. Known as the largest cypress in the USA, The Senator was 36 meters tall. Unfortunately, that unintentional fire by Miss Burns burned the tree from inside out, the locals have established a 50-foot-tall clone of The Senator at the same location.
5. Hundred Horse Chestnut, Sicily
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
When he looked at the Hundred Horse Chestnut, the poet Borello wrote-
“A chestnut tree
was so large
that its branches formed an umbrella
under which refuge was sought from the rain
from thunder bolts and flashes of lightning”
Believed to be between 2,000 and 4,000 years old, the Hundred Horse Chestnut tree is located only 7.2 kilometers from the volcanic crater. There is an interesting legend behind the tree’s name. It says that the Queen of Aragon took shelter beneath this huge tree along with her hundred horses during a violent rainstorm. Well, the tree has a cute little sibling too- who is just 1000 years old- called The Chestnut of the Boat. Bristlecone Pine or Sarv-e Abarkuh, each one of these ancient trees is an art.
So, if admiration, awe, and affection for nature’s bountiful treasure dwell in your eyes, you must visit these oldest living things at least once in your lifetime.
