Whoa! That's like TWICE the lifespan of Bristlecone Pines. Nice Post.
http://www.thelocal.se/11054/20080411/Above is an article with a bit more info.
I had no clue this tree was out there, thanks for posting it!
There's even more info at this NatGeo page:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080414-oldest-tree.htmlCuriously, there is a discrepancy between the previous 2 links on the age: one says 8000 and the other says 9550 years. And a bit of clarification is needed, as can be explored here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_treeThe term "oldest tree" is somewhat misleading, since it is only the root systems that have been carbon dated to 9550 years, not the "tree" above ground which do not live nearly as long. In the sense of "tree" that most of us think of, the oldest tree remains the 5000 year-old bristlecone pine in Nevada, U.S. named Prometheus according to the Wikipedia entry linked above.
the life of a tree begins in the earth , it sprouts upwards in order to reach the sunshine , it's leaves take in pollution and convert that pollution into oxygen through photosynthesis ,
the parts of the tree above ground are the parts that do this , the parts of the tree below ground are the parts where the tree gets its nutrients and water from in order for the tree to perform the photosynthesis.
the top of the tree cannot perform or live without the bottom , yet from this and other plants and trees it is shown that the bottom or the foundation of the tree can live without the top.