Trees never cease to amaze us with superlatives, because not only can they live incredibly long, they also reach fabulous dimensions. Many, but not all, of the leading positions in the ranking are occupied by the Californian sequoias. Find out which other trees are among the largest here.
Let's start with the most famous of the world's largest trees: Californians call the "largest living thing in the world" the Sequoia named "General Sherman". The giant owes its leading position among the largest trees to the combination of girth and height, or the volume of the trunk.
The largest tree in the world: General Sherman
The enormous sequoia is over 83 metres tall, with the first branches 40 metres above the ground. At ground level, the tree has a circumference of more than 31 metres. This makes it a magnificent specimen of the Californian giants that once covered vast areas of the state, but were decimated considerably as early as the 19th century. Today, redwoods are protected to safeguard the remaining population. The age of the ancient trees is disputed - they will probably not reach the biblical age of more than 10,000 years, but between 2,000 and 4,000 years is quite possible.
The tallest tree in the world is also in California
Tallest trees are followed by tallest trees. The tallest tree is also a sequoia, as the tree is called in science. It is said to be be more than 115 metres high, but was only measured in 2006.. Conclusion: It is indeed that tall! However, the exact location of the Hyperion, as the giant has been named, remains secret. An even taller giant eucalyptus in Australia is said to have been over 132 metres high, which already fell victim to the axe in the 19th century.
Are the biggest trees also the oldest?
California is apparently good for records, because in the "White Mountains" there are pines that for a long time were not considered the largest but the oldest trees. One of these pines has been proven to be more than 4,700 years old, but it is far from being the record holder - because the first place is now being contested by a specimen that is said to be 5062 years old - here, too, the location remains secret. Just as old are cypresses in the Tassili n`Hoggar in Algeria or a fir in Japan, and it was only in 2008 that a spruce could be found in the Asian country that adds up to almost 10,000 years!
Mexico also comes up trumps among the biggest trees
What is lacking in height is made up for in girth. The largest of the record holders is a bald cypress in the Mexican province of Oaxaca, which boasts a girth of 58 metres and is therefore called "El Gigante".
Largest trees that clone themselves: The oldest root system
Just as amazing as the records in length, height and girth is the fact that some trees have ancient root systems. Although this makes them Not quite immortal, but very long-lived., because the roots always produce new, above-ground plants. A pine tree in Tasmania, for example, emerged from a root system that is about 10,500 years old. The oldest such self-perpetuating plant is - again in California - a bush whose roots date back to the last Ice Age and which can look back on a proud age of 13,000 years!
NIKIN Treeplanting!
We don't have the biggest trees, but we have already planted over 1.5 million. Because for every product you buy, we plant a tree. We'll tell you how that workshere . In addition, this year we launched our own TreeTracker, so you can find out more about your tree. And who knows, maybe yours will be one of the biggest trees one day!
