Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden = growing for 9,550 years

[L. Coyote]

Oldest Living Tree Found in Sweden
James Owen - April 14, 2008 - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080414-oldest-tree.html


The world's oldest known living tree, a conifer that first took root at the end of the last Ice Age, has been discovered in Sweden, researchers say.

The visible portion of the 13-foot-tall (4-meter-tall) "Christmas tree" isn't ancient, but its root system has been growing for 9,550 years, according to a team led by Leif Kullman, professor at Umeå University's department of ecology and environmental science in Sweden.

World's oldest tree picture = Enlarge Photo

Discovered in 2004, the lone Norway spruce—of the species traditionally used to decorate European homes during Christmas—represents the planet's longest-lived identified plant, Kullman said.

The researchers found the shrubby mountain survivor at an altitude of 2,985 feet (910 meters) in Dalarna Province.

The tree's incredible longevity is largely due to its ability to clone itself ..........

[xchrom]

1. very cool. recommend.

[yellowcanine]

2. Whoops - Young Earth Creationists will have a problem with that.

Greater than 6000 years old AND it apparently survived the flood. Ah hell.....

[unpossibles]

6. nah, they will assume it's another lie from Big Science sadly

cool find though!

[aquart]

3. As long as it doesn't end up in Rockefeller Center.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Move over, California bristlecone pines

You've been upstaged.

[Red Zelda]

5. Did CBS's Bob Schieffer plant it?

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

7. I was going to say John McCain

;)

[acmavm]

8. So was I. Then I found out the Pope is 9 years older than McCrazy.

figured he did it.

[Tesha]

9. And right down at the bottom, in teeny little 9000-year-old letters, it says I -- K -- E -- A! (NT)

[electropop]

10. I'm glad it was found before somebody made a Yule log out of it.

[L. Coyote]

11. This should make people think twice before cutting down a tree!