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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 Methuselah pine, which sprouted long before the birth of Christ.
Where does Methuselah pine grow?
This unusual plant grows in the National Park in the United States on the slopes of Mount White, but its exact location is hidden, and only a few park workers know it. The nature reserve on this mountain was founded in 1918, and quickly became famous for the diversity of flora in these places. Due to favorable natural conditions at the base and on the slopes of the mountains, a wide range of plants grow here, among which there are quite a few centenarians, although the most famous, of course, is Methuselah. The 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, there are no tours to it, as the employees do not want to give out the place where the tree grows, because they are afraid for the safety of its microenvironment.
Age of Methuselah Pine
Supposedly, the pine seed that gave rise to such a great tree germinated about 4851 years ago, or 2832 years before Christ. Even for this species, such a case is unique. Scientists explain the phenomenal vitality of the culture by the fact that on Mount White there was that amazing climate that the spiny pines need to maintain a stable life. They need dry-winded terrain 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 his death, according to legend, was 969 years. The tree has long overcome this meaning, but its name continues to carry a deep meaning. In the same national park, spiny pines were also found – the descendants of Methuselah, whose age is 100 years or more. This is of great importance to biologists and to mankind in general, since the species of “long-lived pines” is very rare, grows 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 spoke about Methuselah and about 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 it is not so easy to get to it. At that time, the location of the ephedra was known to people from recently published materials, and it was not so difficult to find the giant. Such a flow of people was well reflected in the profits of the park, but soon access to the Methuselah pine became closed.
Why the location of the pine tree is classified
Many visitors to the park and wildlife lovers are concerned about the question – why did the park hide this unique pine tree from people. The answer to it is quite trivial: human intervention almost destroyed the ephedra Methuselah.
Everyone who got to the plant considered it his duty to take a piece of bark or a cone with him, literally disassembling the pine piece by piece. In addition, frank vandals came to her, who cut off branches, and then sold them for a lot of money to visitors to the park. Some guests left marks with a knife on a tree.
In addition, regular excursions negatively affected the microenvironment of the plant. As a result of this intervention of the human factor in the specific conditions that the plant needed to sustain life, the plant began to wither. As soon as biologists saw the first signs that Methuselah might die, any visits and excursions were canceled, and visitors were not shown the famous tree even from afar. Even at the moment, the pine tree has not yet regained its former strength, which it had before 1953, so it is under the constant supervision of biologists.
Despite the fact that there are other long-lived plants on Earth, the Methuselah pine is still the most ancient tree in the world, which inspires irresistible delight and makes you wonder how much this culture has gone through and how terrible it would be to lose it now.
