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All the United States California Big Pine Methuselah Tree
AO Edited

Methuselah Tree

Once thought to be the oldest living tree in the world, Methuselah was germinated before the Egyptian pyramids were built.

Big Pine, California

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Nick Jackson
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  Chao Yen/CC BY-ND 2.0
  Chao Yen/CC BY-ND 2.0
  Chao Yen/CC BY-ND 2.0
The Methuselah Tree, taken through the almost 5000 year old roots of the tree. The geolocation of this photo has been changed to protect the exact location of the tree.   neitzel / Atlas Obscura User
The Methuselah Trail   trailkrum/CC BY-SA 2.0
Bristlecone pines.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
View near visitors centre towards trails.   moonshae / Atlas Obscura User
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About

An ancient 4,800-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine, the Methuselah Tree grows high in the White Mountains of eastern California.

Named after the Biblical figure that lived for 969 years, the Methuselah Tree grows in the Methuselah Grove, which is in Inyo National Forest's "Forest of Ancients," where it is surrounded by other ancient trees. The exact location of the tree, though, is kept secret to protect it against vandalism.

When Edmund Schulman and Tom Harlan took samples from the famous tree in 1957, they discovered it was 4,789 years old. It is estimated that the tree germinated in 2832 B.C., making Methuselah one of the oldest known living trees and non-clonal organisms in the entire world. A germination date of 2832 B.C. makes Methuselah older even than the Egyptian Pyramids. It has just a bit longer to hold on until it is older than Prometheus, another bristlecone specimen that was 4,844 years old when accidentally destroyed in 1964.

Upon visiting the tree, Robert Mohlenbrock, a professor of botany at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, thought "that any organism that lived longer than the norm had to have optimal conditions going for it ... that would mean moderate temperatures, shelter from extreme weather, and plenty of moisture and nutrients." He was wrong. Methuselah lives in a nasty place - for a tree. There are just patches of soil at the tree's extreme elevation and fierce winds blow. The Bristlecone Pine is perfectly adapted to the semi-arid boreal climate in which it lives.

Methuselah is now the second-oldest tree in the world after the recent discovery of a small Norway Spruce in the Swedish arctic that has been proven to be roughly 9,500 years old, it is endearingly referred to as Old Tjikko.

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Trees World's Oldest Trees Plants Natural Wonders Geology Nature

Know Before You Go

The Ancient Bristlecone National Forest is at high elevations. The visitor center and Schulman Grove (where Methuselah is located) is between 9,500 and 9,800 feet above sea level. The Patriarch Grove, 13 miles farther down a dirt road, is above 11,000 feet above sea level. Take your time on the trails as even fit people may feel dizzy and out of breath at such altitudes.

Community Contributors

Added By

nbj914

Edited By

jeffreyrbadger, johnv, naturedude, BrassShadow...

  • jeffreyrbadger
  • johnv
  • naturedude
  • BrassShadow
  • AdamTKincaid
  • hellokerrin
  • moonshae
  • warsuewilson
  • WhiskeyBristles
  • TeaAndCoffeeLover
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • neitzel
  • HikinMike

Published

December 21, 2010

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Sources
  • Wikipedia: Methuselah (tree): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah_%28tree%29
  • NOVA Online: Methuselah Tree: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/long.html
  • https://rove.me/to/california/bristlecone-pines
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventure-blog/2009/07/17/methuselah-worlds-oldest-tree/
  • Fans of Western movies insist that the M. tree figured somewhat prominently in "Saddle the Wind" from 1958, a "A" movie with Julie London, Robert Taylor and J. Cassavetes. and script by the great Rod Serling."
Methuselah Tree
White Mountain Rd
Big Pine, California, 93514
United States
37.385562, -118.178843
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