Which plants are the most ancient, and which ones definitely need company? Amazing plants Ancient plants on earth.

Plants play an important role on the planet. 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 the 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 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. It is impossible to determine the exact date 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 the oldest olive tree is located in Italy.

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 Krasnodar region. 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. Under natural conditions, these trees grow in 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 most big tree on Earth.

Sri Maha Bodia from the ficus genus is a sacred tree of 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 the earth's centenarians have survived to this day and can tell us about the past of the Earth.

The first representatives of the flora appeared on the planet more than 2 billion years ago, in the era that researchers call the Archean. Let's look at the most ancient plants on Earth - what they looked like and what role they played in the evolutionary process.

Archean era

This period is separated from us by billions of years, so the data on what living organisms existed at that time are very conditional and often have the nature of hypotheses. Scientists have little material for research, since representatives of this ancient time did not leave behind any traces. In this geological era, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere yet, so only those organisms that did not need it could survive. Features of the plant world of the Archean era are as follows:

The most ancient plants on Earth are considered to be blue-green algae; the fact that they already existed is evidenced by organic substances - marble, limestone.
Colonial algae appeared later.
The next stage in the development of flora is the appearance of photosynthetic organisms. They absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and released oxygen.

We can conclude that algae are the most ancient plants on Earth; their role was more than significant: it was these tiny representatives of the flora that managed to fill the atmosphere with the oxygen necessary for life and made it possible for further evolution. Living organisms were able to leave the sea and move to land.

Proterozoic

The next stage in the development of the most ancient plants on Earth is the Proterozoic era, it was then that many varieties of algae originated:

red;
brown;
green.

It was during this era that a clear division of organisms into plants and animals occurred. The former could synthesize oxygen, but the latter did not have this ability.

Paleozoic

The most ancient plants on Earth are seaweed, and it is to them that we owe the appearance of an oxygen-rich atmosphere. They made our world habitable. In the first two periods of the Paleozoic, the flora was represented exclusively by algae, but other plants gradually appeared:

During the Silurian period, spore plants formed. Soil appeared, so they were able to grow on land.
Rhyniophytes, the simplest representatives of the fauna, arose in Delur.
Next, mosses and primordial ferns and gymnosperms appear.
During the Carboniferous period, horsetail-like ferns appear.

The first forests of huge horsetails, ferns and mosses appear on the planet. During the Carboniferous period, club mosses and calamites reached their peak, often rising 30-40 meters above the surface of the earth. Gradually dying off, these plants formed reserves of coal, which humanity uses to this day. The most ancient plants on Earth played a vital role in giving us valuable minerals. Without coal, industrial development would be impossible.

During the Permian period, some coniferous species are formed.

Plants coming to land: features of the process

The most ancient plants on Earth that left the water element and moved to land, as researchers believe, were algae and lichens. They did not leave behind any traces and conclusions about their existence are made only based on indirect signs:

Rock formation. This process is possible only with the participation of living organisms.
The process of soil formation could not take place in water - this indicates that the plants had already reached the surface of the earth.
Nowadays, fossil-like algae are found on land as deposits on rocks and tree bark, under conditions of increased importance. Therefore, researchers suggest that in ancient periods they could also adapt to life outside the sea.

In later periods of the Paleozoic, land plants, which have not survived to this day. Only their petrified spores have survived. They are very similar to the spores of liverworts, modern plants related to mosses. We can conclude that the most ancient plants on Earth are mosses, while horsetails “emerged” from the sea and settled on land during the late Paleozoic period.

First forests

The first representatives of the flora preferred to settle in damp places, so fern forests were often buried in water. The oldest forests were shallow bodies of water, similar to swamps, but lacking a peat layer. It was here that giant ferns grew. Such an ecosystem is often called a forest-reservoir.

First gymnosperms

The most ancient plants on Earth reproduced by spores, which were very vulnerable and could die in unfavorable conditions environment. Therefore, the appearance of gymnosperms was the most important step on the path of evolution. The seeds had a number of advantages over disputes:

they had a supply of nutrients;
could survive adverse conditions;
were not afraid of exposure to UV rays and drying out;

Mesozoic

At this time, the most important processes occur:

formation of continents;
the birth of lakes and seas;
climate change.

Flora also undergoes significant changes: giant ferns and club mosses are dying out, and gymnosperm coniferous trees are becoming widespread. Imprints of plants with characteristics characteristic of angiosperms were discovered in layers of the Early Cretaceous and Jurassic periods. These were primitive and small forms. Angiosperms became widespread in the Middle Cretaceous, about one hundred million years ago. However, by the end of the period they became the dominant form of plant life on Earth. The plant world became more and more similar to what we are used to.

Features of the flora of the Mesozoic era are as follows:

The appearance of vessels in plants, the functions of which were to conduct water and nutrients.
A reproductive organ is formed - a flower. Thanks to insect pollination flowering plants quickly spread across the continents.
The predecessors of modern cypresses and pines appear.

We looked at which plants are the most ancient on Earth, and traced the main paths of the evolutionary development of flora across geological eras. Despite the fact that the first algae did not leave any traces behind, their role was enormous: they were able to fill the planet’s atmosphere with oxygen and made possible exit living organisms on land.

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 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 other thousand-year-old pines Great Basin Bristlecone, 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 Atlantic coast, 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 that constantly continue 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.

Plants play an important role on the planet. It's no secret that trees are the lungs of the planet, and flowers are the best of 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? You will find answers to these questions in the article.

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.

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 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. It is impossible to determine the exact date because the interior of the wood has completely rotted away - this often happens with old plants. The plant belongs to the species “Cryptomeria japonica”. Its circumference is 16.2 m, height – 25.3 m.

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

The 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.

Almost any person perceives the events of centuries ago as a fascinating fairy tale, not believing in the reality of what happened thousands of years ago. The existence of the ancient world can be judged by what is found in different corners planets evidence. One of them is the most ancient plants on Earth, some specimens of which have successfully survived to today, having witnessed the birth and decline of civilizations, having experienced more than one historical era.

Modern representatives of ancient times

The most ancient plants on Earth are algae discovered during excavations in China. Their approximate age, according to scientists, ranges from 580 to 635 million years. Great minds were able to identify it by the depth of the rock layers with the found brown remains resembling branches and plates.

Almost every continent has preserved the most ancient plants on Earth - silent witnesses of bygone eras. These are the Antarctic moss, which is 5,500 years old, the plant Lomatia tasmanica, which has an estimated age of 43,600 years, and the Mediterranean grass Posidonia oceanica, which is 100,000 years old. By the way, it was back in those days when ancestors from Africa began to explore other lands.

The most ancient plants on the planet are a colony of poplars in the USA, Utah.

50 thousand genetically similar trees with a common root system constitute an integral organism that constantly reproduces and in this way ensures its own immortality. The approximate age of this society is more than 800,000 years.

Cryptomeria - the oldest cedar on the planet

On the highest mountain of the Japanese island of Yakushima grows a huge cedar - Cryptomeria, whose height reaches 25 meters and its girth is 16 meters. This ancient giant is 7000 years old. Some scientists claim that the age of the handsome green man is 2.5 times less. Tourists rarely visit such remote and remote places, allowing the coniferous old-timer to humbly observe the passage of time.

And yet: what plant is now the oldest on our earth? Not long ago, a group of specialists discovered a growing plant in Sweden.

The slender and young-looking tree turned out to be a new shoot of an ancient ancestor that grew in the same place and was about 9550 years old. Today it is the oldest free-standing spruce on the planet. Rising nearby are other clones of trees whose roots are between 5,000 and 9,000 years old.

Famous old-timer pine trees

The fate of a pine tree named Prometheus, an old-timer among non-cloned trees, cut down in the 60s of the last century with light hand a certain American student. After its death, the age of the tree was accurately determined to be 5,000 years. Pine was a historical landmark National Park

Another was discovered in California in the Inyo National Forest. In a study conducted in 1957, it was found that pine appeared on earth in 2832, that is, at that time the age of the tree was 4789 years. It was named Methuselah - in honor of one of the biblical characters who lived 969 years. Today, after the death of Prometheus, this pine is the oldest plant on Earth. Its location is securely hidden among other trees, which are also about 2000 years old. The tree is carefully protected to avoid attempts of vandalism.

The oldest plant on Earth (after the long-lived Methuselah) is Fitzroya cypress.

Its age was determined in 1993 by counting annual rings and was 3622 years. It grows in a coastal reserve in southern Chile. In the Atacama Desert of the same country, the yareta bush, a relative of modern parsley, has been growing for more than 2000 years.

Historical pride of Great Britain

In the courtyard of the parish church of the village of Llangernew in Wales you can admire a huge yew tree, dating back 4,000 years. So long life he was able to survive thanks to new shoots growing even at the moment the main trunk died. In June 2002, during the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, this historical monument was recognized as a national heritage of Great Britain.

Baobab is a bright representative of ancient plants

The most ancient plants on Earth are baobabs. A striking representative of this type of tree is a giant tree growing in Africa, which consists of two parts with large cavities inside each. The diameter of the baobab is 10.6 meters with a trunk circumference of 47 meters and a height of 22 meters.

The age of the tree identified is 6,000 years; that is, the tree is older than the Egyptian pyramids. The giant hollow discovered inside it has been successfully inhabited for many generations. There have been fires there more than once. Capable of accommodating 20-30 people inside different times it was used by people as a temple, bus stop, prison, water storage and public toilet. Its modern purpose is a cozy bar-pub. Being such a loved and sought after tree, the baobab continues to grow vigorously; a huge number of different birds live in its crown.

Human negligence towards nature

The relationship “man - nature” is far from ideal, and the initiator of negativity is mostly the first party, which dooms people with an irresponsible and conniving attitude ancient plants The earth is on the verge of extinction. Thus, for the purpose of building roads and organizing fields, the Underground Forest located in South Africa was cold-bloodedly treated with chemicals. Representing a massive root system scooping deep underground nutrients and water, it was guaranteed protection against possible forest fires.

In Florida, a unique cypress tree, whose age reached 3,500 years, burned down due to the light hand of man.

One of the oldest trees in the world, it was named Senator in honor of Moses Overstreet, a senator in the Florida Legislature who donated land with cypress trees to Seminole County for the creation of a natural park. Initially, the height of the Senator was 50 meters; in 1925, due to a hurricane, the tree lost its top and decreased to 38 meters.