It's hard to believe, but plants can live for thousands of years. We present to your attention a list oldest plants on planet Earth.

Jōmon Sugi The 25 meters high and 16 meters girth of this Cryptomeria makes it the largest coniferous tree in Japan. The tree grows in a misty, primeval forest on the north side of the tallest mountain on Yakushima Island in Japan. Tree rings indicate that Cryptomeria is at least 2,000 years old, although according to some estimates, it can grow for 7,000 years and is one of the oldest plants on planet Earth.

La Llareta's delightful 3,000-year-old moss-like bush is one of oldest plants.

Methuselah (bristlecone pine) The oldest of the freestanding trees of the world, lives 10,000 feet above sea level in Inyo National Park, California. The oldest The 4,765-year-old, primeval tree was already a hundred years old when the first pyramid was built in Egypt. The tree is hidden among other thousand-year-old pines of the Great Bristlecone Basin, in a grove called the Forest of the Ancients. To protect the tree from vandalism, the forest service keeps a secret exact location of the oldest tree.

Welwitschia mirabilis a very old plant, currently growing only in a small area in the deserts on the Atlantic coast, in Namibia and in the south of Angola. This is a tree, although at first glance it does not look like that at all. The whole plant consists of a round root-trunk and 2 leaves, constantly growing, which resemble 2 large twisted ribbons 2-4 meters long, so Velvichia gives the impression of a heap of garbage. As a matter of fact, we are talking about germinating leaves that constantly continue to grow, dying and frayed at the ends. This specimen is over 5,000 years old.

Actinomycete bacteria (siberian actinobacteria) living in permafrost near Lake Baikal, possibly oldest organism on earth... Their age is about 400-600 thousand years.

Baobab (Sagole baobab) in the Limpopo province of South Africa. This tree is about 2000 years old.

For a long time, people have noticed that with the help of plants it is possible to determine the time of day, the approach of bad weather, to find out the directions of the world and even the place of occurrence of the ore. Plants, like all living organisms, develop according to their biological rhythms and therefore "wake up", for example, each at its own time: dandelions at 6 o'clock in the morning, field carnations an hour later, morning glories by 8-9 o'clock, etc. Based on this patterns K. Linnaeus in the XVIII century made the first living flower "clock". Plants also react to fluctuations in temperature and humidity in the atmosphere. Some, in order to protect the pollen from bad weather, close the corolla of flowers or do not open them at all. Such barometer plants include, for example, a small herb woodlice, which grows densely in gardens: if the corollas of its graceful flowers do not open before 9 o'clock in the morning, then it will rain in the afternoon. Other plants release excess moisture before bad weather. So, a day before the rain, droplets of moisture appear on the edges of the wide carved leaves of the monstera, so we call this tropical liana a crybaby. Compass plants of lettuce and sylphium, growing in open places, are well known to travelers. To protect themselves from overheating, they place their leaves in the direction of the south with an edge, since during the day the greatest solar radiation comes from the south; respectively, the flat side of the leaves faces east and west. People also noticed that some plants grow only on certain soils, and on this relationship they learned to find minerals. Such people were called ore. Currently, scientists have identified a whole group of indicator plants. Among them is the lady's slipper orchid, which grows only on soils where there are deposits of calcium.

On the postcard: morning glory (top), lettuce (left), woodlice (center), monstera (bottom), lady's slipper (right).

Artist 3.V. Vorontsova
© "Fine Art". Moscow. 1989
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Almost any person perceives the events of centuries ago as a fascinating fairy tale, not believing in the reality of what happened thousands of years ago. One can judge about the existence of the ancient world by the evidence found in different parts of the planet. One of them is the most ancient plants on Earth, some of which have successfully survived to this day, witnessing the birth and extinction of civilizations, having gone through more than one historical era.

Modern representatives of ancient times

The oldest plants on Earth are algae discovered during excavations in China. Their approximate age, according to scientists, is from 580 to 635 million years. His great minds were able to determine the depth of the layers of the rock with the found brown remains, resembling branches and plates.

The most ancient plants on Earth have survived on almost every continent - silent witnesses of bygone eras. These are Antarctic moss, which is 5,500 years old, the plant Lomatia tasmanica, which has an estimated age of 43,600 years, the Mediterranean Posidonia ocean grass, which is 100,000 years old. By the way, it was still in those days when the ancestors from Africa began to develop other lands.

The most ancient plants on the planet are poplar colony in the USA, Utah.

50 thousand genetically similar trees with a common root system make up an integral organism that is constantly reproduced and in this way ensures its own immortality. The approximate age of this society is over 800,000 years.

Cryptomeria is the oldest cedar on the planet

On the highest mountain of the Japanese island of Yakushima, a huge cedar grows - cryptomeria, the height of which reaches 25 meters, and the girth is 16 meters. This ancient giant is 7000 years old. Some scientists argue that the age of the handsome green man is 2.5 times less. Tourists rarely visit such remote and remote places, allowing the coniferous old-timer to humbly observe the passage of time.

And yet: which plant is now the most ancient on our earth? Not so long ago, a group of specialists discovered growing in Sweden

The tree, slender and young in appearance, turned out to be a new shoot of the ancient progenitor, which grew in the same place and was about 9550 years old. Today it is the oldest free-standing spruce on the planet. Other clones of trees rise nearby, with roots ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 years old.

Famous old-time pine trees

The fate of a pine named Prometheus, an old resident of uncloned trees, cut down in the 60s of the last century with the light hand of an American student, ended dramatically. After the death, the age of the tree was accurately determined, amounting to 5000 years. The pine tree has been a historic landmark in the National Park

Another was discovered in the state of California in the Inyo National Forest. In a study conducted in 1957, it was found that the pine appeared on the earth in 2832, that is, at that time the age of the tree was 4789 years. It was named Methuselah - in honor of one of the biblical characters who lived for 969 years. Today, after the death of Prometheus, this pine is the most ancient plant on Earth. Its location is reliably hidden among the rest of the trees, which are also about 2000 years old. The tree is carefully guarded to avoid attempts at vandalism.

The most ancient plant on Earth (after the long-lived Methuselah) is the cypress fitzroy.

Her age was determined in 1993 by counting annual rings and was 3622 years. It grows in a coastal reserve in southern Chile. In the Atacama Desert of the same country, the Yareta bush, a relative of modern parsley, has been growing for more than 2000 years.

Historic pride of Great Britain

In the courtyard of the parish church of Llangernew, Wales, you can admire a huge yew tree dating back 4,000 years. He was able to live such a long life thanks to new shoots growing even at the time of the death of the main trunk. In June 2002, during the celebration of the "golden anniversary" of Queen Elizabeth II, this historic site was recognized as a National Heritage of Great Britain.

Baobab is a striking representative of ancient plants

The oldest plants on Earth are the baobabs. A striking representative of this type of tree is a giant growing in Africa, which consists of two parts with large cavities inside each. The diameter of the baobab is 10.6 meters with a trunk girth of 47 meters and a height of 22 meters.

The identified tree is 6,000 years old; that is, the tree is older than the Egyptian pyramids. The giant hollow found inside it has been successfully settled for many generations. Fires have occurred there more than once. Capable of holding 20-30 people inside, at different times it was used by people as a temple, bus stop, prison, water storage and public toilet. Its modern purpose is a cozy bar - pub. As a beloved and sought-after tree, the baobab continues to grow actively; a huge number of different birds live in its crown.

Negligence of man in relation to nature

The relationship "man - nature" is far from ideal, and the initiator of the negative is for the most part the first party, an irresponsible and conniving attitude that dooms the most ancient plants of the Earth to extinction. So, in order to build roads and organize fields, an underground forest located in South Africa was cold-bloodedly treated with chemicals. Being a massive root system, scooping up nutrients and water deep underground, it was a guaranteed protection against possible forest fires.

In Florida, with the light hand of a man, a unique cypress tree, whose age reached 3500 years, burned down.

One of the oldest trees in the world, it was named Senator in honor of Moses Overstreet, the Senator of the Florida Legislature who donated cypress land to Seminole County to create a nature park. Initially, the Senator was 50 meters high; in 1925, due to a hurricane that struck, the tree lost its top and decreased to 38 meters.

Plants play an important role on the planet. It's no secret that trees are the lungs of the planet, and flowers are the best of the earth. The first plants existed long before the appearance of man himself - geologists today find their fossilized remains. But which plants of our time can be considered the most ancient? And have those rare ancient specimens survived to this day? You will find the answers to these questions in the article.

1

He is 9550 years old. This is an ordinary spruce, officially recognized as the oldest clonal type tree on earth. It grows in the national park of Sweden in the province of Dalarna.

2

One of the most ancient plants on earth is a tree with the interesting name “glyptostroboid metasequoia”. It was believed that it died long ago, but in 1943 a living representative of this genus was discovered in China. After researching the remains and materials taken from a living tree, it was found that their age does not differ so much.

3

Brazil boasts the oldest non-coniferous tree. This is the Patriarch of the forest, which is more than 3000 years old. Unfortunately, the Patriarch grows in the very center of the logging zone, which means that he risks being destroyed every day.

4

In Taiwan, until 1998, there was a tree with an age of 3,000 years: the Alishan Sacred Tree from the genus of cypress, in other words, the red cypress. Today, a fence has been installed around its trunk, testifying to the sanctity and value of the plant.

5

In 1968, the Suga Jamon tree was discovered on Yakushima Island in Japan. Its age is estimated in the range from 2,500 to 7,200 years. It is impossible to determine the exact date, because the inside of the wood is completely rotted - this often happens with old plants. The plant belongs to the species "Japanese cryptomeria". Its circumference is 16.2 m, its height is 25.3 m.

6

In Italy, the Cormac Tree grows - this is the oldest tree, which is also called the European olive. It is about 3,000 years old, and it "lives" in Sardinia. Well, if you think about it, it is not surprising that the oldest olive tree is located in Italy.

7

The chestnut of a hundred horses is a tree of the type "sowing chestnut". It got its name because of the legend, according to which one hundred knights were able to shelter from the rain under its crown. Its representatives are also present in Russia - in the south of the Krasnodar Territory. The main plant, which is more than 3,000 years old, grows in Sicily. It is this tree, according to the official data of the Guinness Book of Records, that is the thickest: its circumference is almost 60 meters.

8

Fitzroy cypress is the oldest representative of the Fitzroy family. He is now on the verge of extinction. In natural conditions, these trees grow in South America and Patagonia. Also, the climate of Sochi is well suited for them. The oldest representative, 58 meters high and 2.4 meters in diameter, can be seen in the Argentine National Park. Its age is over 2600 years.

9

A very interesting specimen grows in the California National Park. This is a "mammoth tree" named General Sherman. Its age is over 2,500 years. The total weight of the plant is almost 2,000 tons, and the height reaches 85 meters. It is not only one of the oldest, but also the largest tree on Earth.

10

Sri Maha Bodiya from the genus of ficus is a sacred tree of Buddhists. They believe that it was under him that Buddha attained enlightenment. The height of the tree does not exceed 30 meters, and is more than 2,300 years old.

The list of the oldest plants on the planet goes on and on. Some of them were cut down due to safety precautions, many were destroyed by poachers, but most of the earth's centenarians have survived to this day and can tell us about the past of the Earth.

The first creatures on our planet were indeed plants. These were blue-green algae, which, as scientists say, created the first atmosphere of the planet, saturated it with oxygen, created the conditions for the existence of subsequent evolutionary experiments. They remained in our world and today, if desired, blue-green algae, or rather, their modern descendants, can be grown and observed.

But they are far from the only plants that can be grown today. There are other types to look out for.

The most ancient contemporaries

The most ancient plants were found in China during excavations. They may be over 635 million years old. Scientists have determined this fact by the depth of the layers. But there are also living modern plants that have reached our days from distant eras. First of all, this is Antarctic moss, which is 5,500 years old, and whose ancestors are 43,600 years old, and even more - according to other checks, the age of similar plants was more than 100,000 years. Then humanity had just begun to leave the African continent in search of new lands.

Mosses are not the only ancient plants that have survived to this day. It is also worth bearing in mind the poplars. Unique plants of this species can be found today - in the United States there is a colony of poplars, which makes up an integral organism of 50 thousand plants. They have a common root system that allows them to constantly reproduce, and this fact makes the plants within the colony immortal, because the stepsons have the same genetic data. The small forest is believed to be about 800,000 years old and all of these plants descended from a single ancestor.

Other ancient but modern plants

It is believed that the most ancient cedar on our planet is cryptomeria. One of the greatest plants of this species grows in Japan, on Mount Yakushima, and is about 25 meters tall. The girth of the trunk of the plant is 16 meters. This plant has an age of 7 thousand years, although someone claims that the cedar could grow like this in just a couple of millennia. But still, which tree can be considered the oldest on the planet?

In a relatively recent time, experts discovered an old Canadian spruce on the territory of Sweden. This relatively young-looking tree turned out to be the shoot of an older plant that grew here in the past and was at least 9.550 thousand years old. Since a young plant has the same genetic code, it can be considered not a descendant, but a continuation of the same plant, and therefore it has the status of the oldest single spruce in the world. Near him, but at some distance, there are other similar clones with an age of 5-9 thousand years.

Ancient trees that are not clones

In the 60s, the life of a unique pine named Prometheus, whose age was about 5 thousand years, was cut short. But there is a tree with the name Methuselah, which is almost 3 thousand years old, and this pine tree is today the oldest on the planet. At least that's how it is considered. By the antiquity of its origin, the exceptional tree is followed by cypress firzoya, which will soon reach 3700 years old. This plant lives among a group of no less ancient individuals with an age of more than 2 thousand years, in a reserve located in the southern part of Chile.

And in Atacama, one of the deserts of the planet, a yaret grows - the bush is more than 2 thousand years old. The plant is a close relative of parsley. There is a yew in Wales, which is about 4 thousand years old.

Why do some plants live in groups?

In addition to such a phenomenon as symbiosis, the group "living" of plants can be forced by their origin from a single shoot. Accordingly, those plants that do not reproduce from one shoot or rhizome do not live in groups. If plants have a tendency to throw out seeds in clusters, their offspring can also live in groups. So there is no mystery in this.

Thus, very ancient plants, clones of old trees, or actually they live on the planet. Modern methods make it possible to date the time of their appearance. Plants appeared on the planet first, earlier than other creatures. And the group existence of some species is associated with their way of reproduction.

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