Maximum Life Span - in Plants

In Plants

Plants are referred to as annuals which live only one year, biennials which live two years, and perennials which live longer than that. The longest-lived perennials, woody-stemmed plants such as trees and bushes, often live for hundreds and even thousands of years (one may question whether or not they may die of old age). A giant sequoia, General Sherman is alive and well in its third millennium. A Great Basin Bristlecone Pine called Methuselah is 4,843 years old (as of 2012) and the Bristlecone Pine called Prometheus was a little older still, at least 4,844 years (and possibly as old as 5,000 years), when it was cut down in 1964. The oldest known plant (possibly oldest living thing) is a clonal Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) tree colony in the Fishlake National Forest called Pando (tree) at about 80,000 years.

Read more about this topic:  Maximum Life Span

Famous quotes containing the word plants:

    We have been God-like in our planned breeding of our domesticated plants and animals, but we have been rabbit-like in our unplanned breeding of ourselves.
    —A.J. (Arnold Joseph)

    All plants move, but they don’t usually pull themselves out of the ground and chase you.
    Philip Yordan (b. 1913)