The oldest living tree

2008/04/17 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Botanika

The scarce tree seen in the image is the oldest tree in the world found alive, after a 9,550 year old spruce. The underlying foot has tree remains of different ages, from 375, 5.660, 9.000 and 9.550 years. Since everyone has the same genetic material, it can be said that everyone is a single tree. It is discovered on Mount Fulu in Sweden.

The vegetative (asexual) reproduction capacity of the fir trees has made it possible that what is seen in the image is the oldest tree in the world. In vegetative reproduction, the loss of a part of the body by a living being results in a new way of life identical to the original. In the case of this tree, despite the death of the oldest tree, the tree that emerged from a piece that it lost in its day survived and, repeated, has survived almost ten thousand years.

Photo: L. Kullman