Oldest Tree In The World: Methuselah Vs Old Tjjiko

May 2024 · 4 minute read

The oldest tree in the world, Methuselah, is a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva). It’s estimated to be 4,854 years old and is located in California’s White Mountains.

The exact location of Methuselah is a secret held by the U.S. Forest Service to safeguard it from vandalism and excessive tourism.

Bristlecone pines, known for their lengthy lifespans, owe their endurance to their ability to thrive in harsh conditions.

They grow at high elevations in the western United States, enduring cold temperatures, strong winds, and low oxygen levels. Their slow growth rate helps them conserve water and energy.

Methuselah’s remarkable age is also due to its avoidance of major disruptions like wildfires and insect outbreaks.

The White Mountains, being remote, have provided a protective environment for its growth.

Interesting facts about Great Basin bristlecone pine

Bristlecone pines, some of which live for more than 5,000 years, hold the title as Earth’s longest-lived non-clonal organisms.

Ten Oldest Trees In The World

  • Old Tjikko (Norway spruce) – 9,550 years old, Sweden
  • Methuselah (Great Basin bristlecone pine) – 4,854 years old, California, USA
  • Pando (quaking aspen) – 4,800 years old, Utah, USA
  • Llangernyw Yew (yew) – 4,000 years old, Wales, UK
  • Sarv-e Abarqu (Persian cypress) – 4,000 years old, Iran
  • Alerce Milenario (Alerce tree) – 3,500 years old, Chile
  • Jurupa Oak (coast live oak) – 2,300 years old, California, USA
  • Fitzroya Cupressoides (Fitzroya tree) – 2,000 years old, Chile
  • Patriarca da Floresta (jequitibá rosa) – 2,000 years old, Brazil
  • General Sherman (giant sequoia) – 1,500 years old, California, USA
  • Why Old Tjikko Is Not Ranked As The Oldest Tree In The World

    Old Tjikko, a Norway spruce, is 9,550 years old. It grows on Fulufjället Mountain in Sweden’s Dalarna province. Originally, it was famous as the “world’s oldest tree.”

    However, it’s a clonal tree that has grown new trunks, branches, and roots over many years, rather than being a single tree of great age.

    Old Tjikko holds the title as the oldest living Picea abies and the fourth-oldest known clonal tree.

    How Old Tjikko Age Was Determined

    Researchers used carbon dating to find out the tree’s age. They collected genetically matched plant material from under the tree because dendrochronology doesn’t apply to clonal trees.

    The trunk itself is thought to be just a few centuries old.

    Still, the tree has endured for much longer because of processes like layering (where a branch touches the ground and grows a new root) and vegetative cloning (when the trunk dies but the root system survives and sprouts a new trunk).

    Old Tjikko Vs Great Basin bristlecone pine (Methuselah)

    Old Tjikko’s root system, located on Fulufjället Mountain in Sweden, is estimated to be 9,565 years old, making it the world’s oldest Norway spruce. It stands 5 meters (16 feet) tall.

    But, the title for the oldest individual, non-clonal trees goes to the Great Basin bristlecone pine trees from California and Nevada in the United States.

    They’re around 4,854 years old, confirmed through tree-ring cross-referencing, showing they’ve lived for almost five millennia.

    Quick Facts About The Oldest Tree In The World

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