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A tree grows in North Carolina, and it has been growing there for a very long time.
According to a new study published today (May 9) in the journal Environmental Research Communications, scientists studying tree rings in the Black River swamps in North Carolina have discovered a bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) which is at least 2,624 years old, making it one of the oldest non-clonal sexual reproduction trees in the world. (Clonal trees, which are vast colonies of genetically identical plants from a single ancestor, can live for tens of thousands of years.)
How old is 2624 years old, really? To use an analogy with Charlotte Observer, this age makes this tree older than Christianity, the Roman Empire, and the English language.
Researchers have discovered ancient cypresses by studying tree rings to reconstruct the history of the eastern United States climate. (In addition to marking the age of a tree, the width and color of dark circles indicate the degree of moisture or drought of a given year). Because of his field work, the team knew that a particular stand of bald cypresses in the Three Sisters marsh of Black River was one of the oldest tree groups of the country. This earlier research identified several trees between 1,000 and 1,650 years old. [Bristlecone Pines: Photos Reveal Some of Earth’s Oldest Organisms]
The new study reveals that bald cypress trees have a longevity that is even longer than researchers previously thought. In addition to the 2,624-year-old individual mentioned above, researchers have found a 2,088-year-old cypress in the same swamp – and there are probably more of them. where it comes from
"Because we have dug and dated only 110 live bald cypresses on this site, a small fraction of the tens of thousands of trees still present in these wetlands, there could be several other bald cypresses over 2,000 years along the approximately 100 km (62 mile) reach of Black River, "wrote the researchers in the study.
According to the new study, bald cypresses have proven to be the oldest known species of wetland tree on Earth. This discovery also makes bald cypress the fifth and oldest non-clonal tree species on Earth; only the juniper trees of Sierra Leone (Juniperus occidentalis) trees, giant redwoods (Sequoiadendron giganteum), alerces (Fitzroya cupressoides) and bristlecone pines of the Grand Bassin (Pinus Longaeva) were found to be older. The oldest bristlecone pine in the world, located in California's White Mountains, is 5,066 years old, about twice the age of the new cypress. The oldest clonal tree is believed to be found in the grove of aspen trees known as Pando, in Utah.
Although the central trees described in this study live on protected lands belonging to the North American chapter of The Nature Conservancy, their existence remains threatened by current logging and biomass production activities (eg Felling of trees for mulch), as well as by industrial pollution and climate change.
"The discovery of the oldest known living trees in eastern North America, which are in fact among the oldest living trees on the planet, is a powerful stimulant for private, national and federal conservation. of this remarkable waterway, "concluded the authors.
Originally published on Science live.
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