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There are many plants in the world that live longer than some countries or even civilizations exist. One of these is the Methuselah pine, which sprouted long before the birth of Christ.
Where does the Methuselah pine grow?
This unusual plant grows in the National Park in the USA on the slope of Mount White, but its exact location is hidden, and only a few park workers know it. The reserve on this mountain was founded in 1918, and quickly became famous for the diversity of flora in this area. Due to the favorable natural conditions at the base and on the slopes of the mountains, a wide range of plants grow here, many of which are long-lived, although the most famous, of course, is Methuselah. Entrance to the park is open to everyone, but it is best to purchase a ticket in advance. The main disappointment for tourists is that, despite the popularity of the Methuselah pine, excursions to it are not conducted, since employees do not want to give away the place where the tree grows, because they are afraid for the safety of its microenvironment.
Age of Methuselah pine
Presumably, the pine seed that gave rise to such a great tree sprouted about 4851 years ago, or 2832 years before the birth of Christ.Even for this species this case is unique. Scientists explain the phenomenal vitality of the culture by the fact that Mount White has developed the amazing climate that bristlecone pines need to maintain stable life. They need an area blown by dry winds with a minimum of rain and strong rocky soil. In addition, the dense bark of the tree contributes to longevity - neither insects nor diseases “take” it.
The amazing pine tree was named after the biblical character Methuselah, whose age at the time of death, according to legend, was 969 years. The tree has long ago overcome this meaning, but its name continues to carry a deep meaning. In the same national park, more bristlecone pines were found - descendants of Methuselah, whose age is 100 years or more. This is of great importance for biological scientists and all of humanity in general, since the species of “durable pines” is very rare, growing in only a few places in the United States, and Mount White Park allows it to be preserved and even propagated.
History of discovery
The tree was first discovered by scientist Edmond Shulman in 1953. He was lucky that the plant, by chance, was already in the protected area, so the park administration was notified of such a find. In addition, Shulman published an article in which he talked about Methuselah and the value of pine for biology and the world as a whole. After the publication became available to the public, crowds of people poured into the park to see and touch this wonder of the world, despite the fact that the reserve is located high in the mountains and is not so easy to get to. At that time, the location of the ephedra was known to people from recently published materials, and finding the giant was not so difficult.This flow of people was good for the park's profits, but soon access to the Methuselah pine became closed.
Why is the location of the pine tree classified?
Many park visitors and wildlife lovers are concerned with the question of why the park hid this unique pine tree from people. The answer to this is quite trivial: human intervention almost destroyed the Methuselah tree.
Everyone who got to the plant considered it their duty to take with them a piece of bark or a cone, literally dismantling the pine tree piece by piece. In addition, outright vandals also came to her, cut off branches and then sold them for big money to park visitors. Some guests left marks on the tree with a knife.
In addition, regular excursions negatively affected the plant's microenvironment. As a result of this intervention of the human factor into the specific conditions that the plant required to maintain life, the plant began to wither. As soon as biologists saw the first signs that Methuselah might die, all visits and excursions were canceled, and visitors were not shown the famous tree, even from afar. Even today, the pine tree has still not regained the same strength it had before 1953, so it is under constant surveillance by biologists.
Despite the fact that there are other long-lived plants on Earth, the Methuselah pine still remains the oldest tree in the world, which inspires irresistible delight and makes one involuntarily wonder how much this culture has survived and how terrible it would be to lose it now.
