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Trees may be our most potent reminder of nature's
power and beauty. For thousands of years, trees have inspired poets,
scientists, warriors and priests, and they remain a living symbol of the
glory of the natural world and its importance in our lives. Take a look
at this collection of images showing the world's largest tree, oldest
tree, biggest tree, tallest tree and other great trees.
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The Largest Tree in the World
In terms of sheer volume, the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
known as General Sherman is a monster of a tree -- at 52,508 cubic feet,
it's the world's largest tree, and perhaps the world's largest living
thing. General Sherman is located in California's Sequoia National Park
and is one of the park's premier attractions. The closest rival is a
coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), nicknamed Lost Monarch, located
somewhere in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in northern California.
Lost Monarch measures about 42,500 cubic feet. |
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The Oldest Tree in the World
It's not always easy to date a living tree, but most experts agree that
a bristlecone pine tree (Pinus longaeva) in California's Inyo National
Forest, nicknamed Methuselah, was 4,843 years old in 2012. Another
bristlecone pine growing in Nevada was cut down in 1964 to be age-dated
-- that tree, nicknamed Prometheus, was 4,844 years old when the tree
was killed. The exact location of Methuselah (and many other famous
trees) is kept secret due to fears of vandalism. Other contenders for
world's oldest tree include the Llangernyw Yew in North Wales, estimated
to be 4,000 to 5,000 years old, and an evergreen Fitzroya cupressoides
in Chile that's 3,622 years old. |
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The Tallest Tree in the World
California is home to several record-busting trees, including the
tallest tree in the world: Hyperion, a 379.1-foot-tall coast redwood
(Sequoia sempervirens) located somewhere in Redwood National Park (the
exact location is a secret, due to concerns over vandalism). Centurion,
a eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus regnans) in Tasmania, is next in line at
331.4 feet. |
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The World's Oldest Clonal Trees
The record above for the world's oldest tree is for a single individual,
or non-clonal, tree. But some trees grow as clones of a parent tree
through a very old root system. Such is the case with Old Tjikko, a
Norway spruce tree (Picea abies) that's been growing in Sweden for an
estimated 9,550 years. But even that old-timer pales in comparison to
the clonal cluster of quaking aspens (Populus tremuloides) in Utah --
genetic testing has revealed that this small forest of clonal trees,
named Pando, is about 80,000 years old. Considered to be one organism,
it's estimated weight is over 6,000 tons, making it not only the oldest
living thing on Earth, but also the heaviest. |
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The Great Banyan
The Great Banyan is a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) located in
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, near
Kolkata, India. It was the widest tree in the world[citation needed] in
terms of the area of the canopy and is estimated to be about 200 to 250
years old. It became diseased after it was struck by lightning, so in
1925 the middle of the tree was excised to keep the remainder healthy;
this has left it as a clonal colony, rather than a single tree. A 330
metre long road was built around its circumference, but the tree
continues to spread beyond it.
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