While reading the American Gardener magazine, I came across a column/book review of IN BOTANICAL TIME: The Extraordinary Lifespans of the World’s Oldest Living Plants by Christopher Woods and Chelsea Green. The reviewer was Heather Prince. (Woods, Green. Heather – Does one’s name influence career choice?)
What I found surprising is where and under what conditions the oldest trees live. I expected sites with fertile soil and protection from harsh climates. In fact, the opposite prevails. Woods wrote, “the least fertile sites tend to yield the oldest plants-where life is not easy, you tend to hunker down yourself rather than devote all your energy to procreation every season.” The trees with amazing longevity often survive in the extreme climates of deserts, mountains, and jungles.
One example is a tree named Methuselah, a bristlecone pine, growing in the White Mountains of California in an Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest where the growing conditions include frigid winter temperatures, strong winds, blazing sunlight, little rain, a short growing season, and nutrient-deficient alkaline soil. Yet, it had endured for 4,800 years.
How does Methuselah survive through the centuries? It has a “sliver of living tissue” deep inside the trunk with just enough waxy green needles to stay alive and produce purple bristle cones.
The book chronicles 23 ancient trees and shrubs. An umbrella pine in Japan has been revered since 1310, when a Shinto temple was renovated. Britain has ancient yews, often planted in church graveyards. Under one, the Magna Carta was signed in 1215.
How do scientists determine the age of an ancient tree? There are several scientific techniques: counting tree rings from a core sample, carbon dating, and studying the clonal expansion. Clones are additional trees growing from the same roots and spreading outward. The size of the spread is measurable. Finally, the history, if any, is researched, including myths, legends, and historical records.
The University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners of Edgar County can be contacted at 217-465-8585 or emailed at schiver@illinois.edu.
Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.