How Long Can a Plant Survive?

Certain types of trees can live for thousands of years, but it can be challenging to determine the precise age of a tree. In most cases we have to rely on observing current growth rates to estimate an age.

Some trees or tree groups can survive for thousands of years. The oldest known individual tree, “The Sisters,” is located in Lebanon and has an estimated age of around 6,000 years. The oldest colony of trees, which may be as many as 130,000 years old, is an unnamed group of critically endangered King’s lomatia trees located in Tasmania.

Since many plants can outlive humans many times over, and we are always curious about the most extreme example of any phenomenon, it is no surprise that we are interested in quantifying which plant is the oldest and what the limits of a plant’s lifespan are. To that end, researchers have attempted to verify the age of various plants to determine what types of plants can live the longest and also identify individual specimens that may be especially old. Of all plant varieties, certain species of trees have the longest lifespans.

There are complications when estimating the lifespan of a plant, however. First off, it is difficult to measure the age of a tree. The age of an individual plant is generally calculated based on observed growth rates in our current environment, which may not be the same as they were previously when conditions might have been much different.

It’s also necessary to distinguish what counts as an individual plant for the purposes of measuring age. While this may seem straightforward at first, it can actually be complex because some plants reproduce asexually or are part of a clonal colony. A clonal colony refers to a group of individual plants that grow together, and originate from a single ancestor. Since they are reproducing asexually from the same source, all individuals in a clonal colony are genetically identical.

Clonal colonies are quite common among plant species, although they may appear to be individual plants to the casual observer since the colony is underground. Clonal colonies pose a challenge when trying to identify the age of a plant since the colony can continue to live and reproduce for much longer than any single individual plant within the colony.

Finally, there are a few species of plant that can undergo long periods of inactive dormancy after which they can return to normal growth given the right conditions. It is unclear whether or not we should consider dormancy periods to be part of an individual specimen’s lifespan when comparing with other plants that are consistently alive by the normal definition.

Oldest Individual Trees

The oldest known individual tree is called “The Sisters” or “Sisters Olive Trees of Noah.” This Olea europaea (olive) tree is located in Bchaaleh, Lebanon, and has an estimated age of 6,000 years. This tree still produces olives.

“Prometheus” is the oldest tree with a verified age. It was cut down in 1964, at which time it was measured to be at least 4,900 years old. This tree is located in Wheeler Park, Nevada, in the United States, and it is a Great Basin bristlecone pine.

The third-oldest tree is another Great Basin bristlecone pine called “Methuselah.” Located in the White Mountains in California, this is the oldest living tree with a confirmed age in the world. The precise location of this tree is kept a secret by the United States Forest Service.

Oldest Clonal Colonies

As mentioned above, clonal trees as a group can outlive any individual tree since the organism keeps renewing itself with new growth while old parts die off. Therefore, all ages of clonal colonies are estimated based on currently observable growth rates and the size of the colony.

Tasmania’s Southwest National Park is home to a clonal colony of Lomatia tasmanica (King’s lomatia) with an estimated age anywhere from 43,600–130,000 years old. This species of trees is endangered, with only this one colony known to exist in the world.

“Pando” is a colony of Quaking aspens located in Fishlake National Forest in Utah, United States. The colony is spread across approximately 107 acres and is estimated to be between 10,000 and 80,000 years old. There are around 47,000 individuals making up this colony.

The “Jurupa Oak,” or “Hurungna Oak” colony is approximately 13,000 years old and can be found in the Jurupa Mountains in California, United States. The colony includes approximately 70 clusters of genetically identical stems. The species is Quercus palmeri (Palmer’s oak).

Certain types of trees can live for thousands of years, but it can be challenging to understand the precise age of a tree because measuring it is not an exact science. In most cases we have to rely on observing current growth rates to estimate an age. It’s also important to distinguish between individual specimens and clonal colonies of trees, as the latter can survive much longer.