A message on the topic of ancient plants. The most ancient plants on earth

Plants are an important and ancient link in the history of our planet. The first plants witnessed significant climate changes; they existed long before the appearance of man himself.

Plants are unique; they carry many functions to support life on Earth:

accumulate huge reserves of valuable organic matter and chemical energy,
release oxygen, protect against ultraviolet radiation,
reduce the amount carbon dioxide,
take part in the cycle of minerals and organic matter,
plants directly influence climate and temperature,
vegetation participates in soil formation, prevents erosion,
maintain water regime.

The primary source of oxygen on our planet is blue-green algae. These are bacteria that, along with higher plants, have the ability to photosynthesize; they outlived all their ancestors and existed when no one else existed. They are found everywhere: in fresh water bodies, in salty seas, on land, and feel great even in the most extreme conditions.

The most ancient deciduous plants on earth are Selaginella, whose history of existence goes back about hundreds of millions of years. The "carpet fern" reproduces by spores and is the only representative of the club mosses, an ancient group of plants common before our era. These plants are up to 10 cm in height and resemble ferns and mosses in appearance. Widespread in home floriculture for its interesting appearance.

Ginkgo is a relict plant, many call it a “living fossil.” This ancient type of gymnosperm has been preserved since the Ice Age. In their natural habitat, these trees grow up to 40 meters with a trunk diameter of up to 4 m. The life period is about 2000 thousand years. This plant has unique healing properties: the leaves contain many biologically active compounds (acids, vitamins, oils, minerals). They actively influence the human body and have a healing effect.

The oldest living plant on Earth is the “old Tikko” tree. According to scientists, the age of the tree is more than 9550 thousand years. "Old Tikko" is ordinary, it has the status of the oldest today existing tree. Spruce grows in the province of Dalarna in national park Fulufjellet, Sweden. Scientists have determined that the tree was preserved thanks to the process of “cloning”, with an old root system, the tree trunk is only 600 years old.

Another ancient spruce grows in Härjedalen, Sweden and is called “Old Rasmus”. The age of this plant is about 9500 thousand years.

The oldest coniferous tree considered the "Patriarch of the Forest" that grows in Brazil. Its approximate age is about 3000 thousand years. Now it is under protection, because... grows in an area of active felling.

The oldest ficus grows in Sri Lanka. Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi was planted in 288 BC. For all Buddhists of the world, this tree is sacred and is a place of pilgrimage, because the tree is believed to have been grown from a cutting planted by the Buddha.

The oldest olive "tree of Cormac" grows on the island of Sardinia in Italy. The age of this plant is about 3000 years.

A plant that has been listed in the Guinness Book for its trunk circumference of more than 60 meters, the “Hundred Horse Chestnut” is 3,000 years old. It grows in Sicily.

Fitzroya cypress is an ancient representative of the Fitzroy genus, whose age is 2600 thousand years. Previously, this species was distributed in the territory South America and Patagonia. The current representative of the genus grows in the Argentine National Park. The tree is 55 meters high and has a trunk diameter of 2.5 meters. Its age is 2600 thousand years.

The most tall plant is a General Sherman tree, 85 meters high, living in a California national park. Its age is more than 2,500 years, and its mass is about 2,000 thousand tons.

Unfortunately, many ancient plants have not survived to the present day; many did not survive due to natural causes. Some of them were cut down for safety reasons, and many were poached.
But thanks to the surviving centenarians, we can learn the history of the development of the Earth, trace how living conditions on our planet changed.

Plants on the planet play important role. It's no secret that trees are the lungs of the planet, and flowers are best decoration parks and the globe. The first plants existed long before the appearance of man himself - geologists still find their fossilized remains today. But which modern plants can be considered the most ancient? And have those rare ancient specimens survived to this day?

1 The oldest plant in the world - Old Tikko

He is 9550 years old. This is Norway spruce, officially recognized as the oldest clonal tree on earth. It grows in the Swedish national park in the province of Dalarna.

One of the most ancient plants on earth is a tree with interesting name"Metasequoia glyptostroboides." It was thought to have died long ago, but in 1943 a living representative of this genus was discovered in China. After examining the remains and materials taken from a living tree, it was found that their ages are not that different.

Brazil boasts the oldest non-coniferous tree. This is the Patriarch of the forest, which is already more than 3000 years old. Unfortunately, the Patriarch grows in the very center of the deforestation zone, which means it risks being destroyed every day.

In Taiwan, until 1998, there was a tree with an age of 3,000 years: Alishan Sacred Tree from the cypress genus, in other words - red cypress. Today, a fence is installed around its trunk, testifying to the sanctity and value of the plant.

In 1968, the Suga Jamon tree was discovered in Japan on the island of Yakushima. Its age is estimated to range from 2,500 to 7,200 years. The exact date impossible to determine because inner part the wood has completely rotted - this often happens with old plants. The plant belongs to the species “Cryptomeria japonica”. Its circumference is 16.2 m, height - 25.3 m.

The Cormac Tree grows in Italy - it is oldest tree, which is also called European olive. It is about 3,000 years old and “lives” in Sardinia. Well, if you think about it, it is not surprising that it is in Italy that the most ancient olive Tree.

Hundred horse chestnut is a tree of the “sowing chestnut” species. It got its name because of the legend according to which one hundred knights were once able to shelter from the rain under its crown. Its representatives today are also in Russia - in the south of the Krasnodar Territory. The main plant, which is more than 3,000 years old, grows in Sicily. According to official data from the Guinness Book of Records, this tree is the thickest: its circumference is almost 60 meters.

Fitzroya cypress is the oldest representative of the Fitzroy genus. Now he is on the verge of extinction. IN natural conditions these trees are native to South America and Patagonia. The Sochi climate is also well suited for them. The oldest representative, 58 m high and 2.4 meters in diameter, can be seen in the Argentine National Park. Its age is more than 2600 years.

A very interesting specimen grows in the California National Park. This is the "mammoth tree" named General Sherman. Its age exceeds 2,500 years. The total mass of the plant is almost 2,000 tons, and the height reaches 85 meters. It is not only one of the oldest, but also the largest tree on Earth.

Sri Maha Bodia from the ficus genus - sacred tree Buddhists. They believe that it was under him that Buddha achieved enlightenment. The height of the tree does not exceed 30 meters, and its age is more than 2,300 years.

The list of the oldest plants on the planet goes on. Some of them were cut down due to safety precautions, many were destroyed by poachers, but most of earthly centenarians has survived to this day and can tell us about the past of the Earth.

Plants are an important and ancient link in the history of our planet. The first plants witnessed significant climate changes; they existed long before the appearance of man himself.
Plants are unique; they carry many functions to support life on Earth:

accumulate huge reserves of valuable organic matter and chemical energy,
release oxygen, protect against ultraviolet radiation,
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide,
take part in the cycle of mineral and organic substances,
plants directly influence climate and temperature,
vegetation participates in soil formation, prevents erosion,
maintain water regime.

The most ancient deciduous plants on earth are Selaginella, whose history of existence goes back about hundreds of millions of years. The "carpet fern" reproduces by spores and is the only representative of the club mosses, an ancient group of plants common before our era. These plants are up to 10 cm in height and resemble ferns and mosses in appearance. They are widely used in home floriculture for their interesting appearance.

The oldest living plant on Earth is the “old Tikko” tree. According to scientists, the age of the tree is more than 9550 thousand years. “Old Tikko” is a common spruce, it has the status of the oldest existing tree. A spruce tree grows in the province of Dalarna in Fulufjellet National Park, Sweden. Scientists have determined that the tree was preserved thanks to the process of “cloning”, with an old root system, the tree trunk is only 600 years old.

Another ancient spruce grows in Härjedalen, Sweden and is called “Old Rasmus”. The age of this plant is about 9500 thousand years.

The oldest non-coniferous tree is considered to be the “Patriarch of the Forest”, which grows in Brazil. Its approximate age is about 3000 thousand years. Now it is under protection, because... grows in an area of active felling.

The oldest olive "tree of Cormac" grows on the island of Sardinia in Italy. The age of this plant is about 3000 years.

A plant that has been listed in the Guinness Book for its trunk circumference of more than 60 meters, the “Hundred Horse Chestnut” is 3,000 years old. It grows in Sicily.

Fitzroya cypress is an ancient representative of the Fitzroy genus, whose age is 2600 thousand years. Previously, this species was distributed in South America and Patagonia. The current representative of the genus grows in the Argentine National Park. The tree is 55 meters high and has a trunk diameter of 2.5 meters. Its age is 2600 thousand years.

The tallest plant is the General Sherman tree, 85 meters high, living in a California national park. Its age is more than 2,500 years, and its mass is about 2,000 thousand tons.

Unfortunately, many ancient plants have not survived to the present day; many did not survive due to natural reasons. Some of them were cut down for safety reasons, and many were poached.
But thanks to the surviving centenarians, we can learn the history of the development of the Earth, trace how living conditions on our planet changed.

accumulate huge reserves of valuable organic matter and chemical energy,
release oxygen, protect against ultraviolet radiation,
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide,
take part in the cycle of mineral and organic substances,
plants directly influence climate and temperature,
vegetation participates in soil formation, prevents erosion,
maintain water regime.

The most ancient deciduous plants on earth are Selaginella, whose history of existence goes back about hundreds of millions of years. The "carpet fern" reproduces by spores and is the only representative of the club mosses, an ancient group of plants common before our era. These plants are up to 10 cm in height and resemble ferns and mosses in appearance. They are widely used in home floriculture for their interesting appearance.

Another ancient spruce grows in Härjedalen, Sweden and is called “Old Rasmus”. The age of this plant is about 9500 thousand years.

The oldest olive "tree of Cormac" grows on the island of Sardinia in Italy. The age of this plant is about 3000 years.

A plant that has been listed in the Guinness Book for its trunk circumference of more than 60 meters, the “Hundred Horse Chestnut” is 3,000 years old. It grows in Sicily.

The tallest plant is the General Sherman tree, 85 meters high, living in a California national park. Its age is more than 2,500 years, and its mass is about 2,000 thousand tons.

It's hard to believe, but plants can live for thousands of years. We present to your attention a list oldest plants on planet earth.

Jōmon Sugi With a height of 25 meters and a girth of 16 meters, this Cryptomeria makes it the largest conifer in Japan. The tree grows in a misty, primeval forest on the northern side of the tallest mountain on Yakushima Island in Japan. Tree rings indicate that Cryptomeria is at least 2,000 years old, although some estimates suggest that it may have been growing for as long as 7,000 years and is one of the oldest plants on planet Earth.

The stunning 3,000-year-old moss-like bush of La Llareta is one of oldest plants.

Methuselah (bristlecone pine) Oldest of the world's freestanding trees lives 10,000 feet above sea level in Inyo National Park, California. The oldest The 4,765-year-old, primeval tree was already a hundred years old when the first pyramid was built in Egypt. The tree is hidden among the other thousand-year-old pines of the Great Bristlecone Basin, in a grove called the Forest of the Ancients. To protect the tree from vandalism, the Forest Service is keeping secret exact location of the oldest tree.

Welwitschia amazing or special Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis) is a very old plant, currently growing only in a small area in the desert on the coast Atlantic Ocean, in Namibia and southern Angola. This is a tree, although at first glance it doesn’t look like it at all. The entire plant consists of a round root-trunk and 2 leaves, constantly growing, which resemble 2 large twisted ribbons 2-4 meters long, so Welwitschia gives the impression of a heap of garbage. Strictly speaking, we are talking about germinating leaves, constantly continuing to grow, dying and fraying at the ends. This specimen is over 5000 years old.

Actinomycete bacteria (Siberian actinobacteria), living in permafrost near Lake Baikal, may oldest organism on earth...Their age is about 400–600 thousand years.

Baobab (Sagole Baobab) in the Limpopo province of South Africa. This tree is about 2000 years old.

A message on the topic of ancient plants. The most ancient plants on earth

Plants are unique; they carry many functions to support life on Earth:

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