[HN Gopher] One-Thousand Year-Old Plants
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       One-Thousand Year-Old Plants
        
       Author : SubiculumCode
       Score  : 30 points
       Date   : 2021-07-31 17:05 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.nytimes.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.nytimes.com)
        
       | pieter_mj wrote:
       | in Afrikaans it is called "tweeblaarkanniedood", which means
       | "twoleavescan'tdie".
        
       | pmoriarty wrote:
       | The honey fungus in Oregon is between 2,400 and 8,650 years old,
       | and it also happens to be the world's largest organism, spanning
       | 2,400 acres (965 hectares).[1]
       | 
       | [1] - https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/meet-worlds-
       | la...
        
         | barbegal wrote:
         | I personally think that clonal colonies should belong in a
         | separate category. Whilst all the individuals are connected,
         | can communicate and gave the same genetics it is possible to
         | split it into many individuals which would be capable of life
         | independent of the colony.
         | 
         | I'm also fairly sure that if other colonies were studied in
         | more depth we could find some that are older and larger.
         | 
         | I'd be interested to find out how the original age of the
         | colony is estimated.
        
           | throwawaysea wrote:
           | There's also quaking aspen that is older
           | (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree)). This article
           | also lists clinal trees separately:
           | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_trees
        
       | xioren00 wrote:
       | Doesn't seem to be a point in linking to articles that require an
       | account to read.
        
       | tw04 wrote:
       | https://archive.is/BK9k6
        
       | strulovich wrote:
       | We took a detour from Swakopmund during a trip in Namibia to find
       | some of these. If you knew nothing you would just think this is a
       | weird plant in the middle of nowhere and wonder how it survives.
       | Then again, the Namibian wilderness will frequently raise that
       | question in your head.
        
       | CalRobert wrote:
       | If you're in California and enjoy this sort of thing, the
       | Bristlecone pines near Mammoth Lakes are the oldest trees in the
       | world. I'm not religious but to me, visiting them is almost
       | sacred.
        
         | throwawaysea wrote:
         | I haven't seen the bristlecones but I get what you mean. I get
         | the same feeling of sacredness when I visit old trees elsewhere
         | like the redwoods, or when I see majestic large animals like
         | whales (although they are much younger).
        
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       (page generated 2021-07-31 23:00 UTC)