Top 10 oldest tree species in Russia

Russia is also a country of dense forests. Taiga has become a household name, but there is also Siberia and not only. We have a huge number of trees, including rare and valuable species, but today we will talk about those that “live” for a very long time and this applies not only to remote corners of our country, but also to Moscow.

Absolutely all the “heroes” of our top are able to survive several generations of people and they all grow in our country. How old are these ancient long-lived plants? We present you the top 10 oldest tree species in Russia.

10 Rough elm, up to 300 years old

ulmus glabra, commonly called rough elm, is a large widespread deciduous tree that grows up to 30-40 meters with a wide-round crown.

Originally from Great Britain, this elm came to Siberia, from where it spread throughout Russia. It was once widely grown as a shade tree for large lawns and parks, but is no longer used due to its predisposition to Dutch elm disease.

Insignificant small reddish-green flowers appear in the spring before the foliage appears. The flowers give way to single-seeded lamina-like samaras (each tiny seed is surrounded by a flattened round paper wing).

Seeds ripen in April-May, when the leaves reach full size. The broad, oblong-obovate to elliptical, rough, dark green leaves have pointed tips, double-breasted margins, and asymmetrical bases. The leaves usually turn a featureless dull yellow in autumn.

The oldest tree was planted in 1861 and is located in the Missouri Botanical Garden next to the home of Henry Shaw.

9. Small-leaved linden, up to 500 years old

small-leaved linden are fragrant pale yellow flowers in late spring, as well as small nutlets with attached leaf wings and oval, glossy dark green leaves with pointed tips, serrated edges and heart-shaped bases.

It is a medium-large deciduous tree, usually growing up to 30-40 meters tall. Fragrant, creamy yellow flowers in drooping racemes appear in June. When the tree is in full bloom, the bees are often in such great numbers that the buzzing can be heard several meters away from the tree.

Flowers give way to nuts that attach to narrow wings. Nuts ripen at the end of summer. Falling color from an inconspicuous pale green to pale yellow.

8. Forest beech, up to 500 years old

Fagus sylvatica, commonly called European or forest beech, is a large deciduous tree, usually growing to 15-20 meters tall with a dense, upright oval to round crown-shaped crown. It is native to forests in central and southern Europe.

European colonists brought this tree to Russia in the mid-1700s and it has since become a popular ornamental shade tree.

The European beech is primarily distinguished from the similar American beech (Fagus grandifolia) by its smaller size, darker gray bark, and shorter leaves that have wavy, mostly hairless margins.

7. Siberian cedar pine, up to 500 years old

A massive, powerful, strong, truly Russian tree, inspiring respect for its size. On the Cedar Pass in Altai, a specimen grows 48 meters high and 3,5 meters in girth. The oldest cedar Siberian pine is located on the Tarvagatai pass in Mongolia, and its age is 629 years.

6. Prickly spruce, up to 600 years old

Picea pungens, usually called thorny spruce (Also blue spruce), is a narrow pyramidal medium to large coniferous tree with horizontal branching towards the ground. As a rule, when grown, it reaches 10-20 meters in height, but can reach 30 or more in natural conditions.

Stiff, bristly, quadrangular, green, blue-green or silver-blue needles point outward from the branches in all directions. Cylindrical light brown cones have flexible scales. From a horticultural standpoint, trees with blue or silvery blue needles tend to be more desirable than trees with green needles.

5. Larch, up to 900 years old

Larches are conifers of the genus Larix, the pine family. Growing from 20 to 45 m tall, they are native to much of the colder temperate northern hemisphere, in the lowlands in the north and high mountains in the south. Larches are one of the dominant plants in the boreal forests of Siberia, where they are truly abundant.

4. Common juniper, up to 1 years old

It is the world’s most widespread conifer, native to temperate Eurasia and North America north of Mexico. Shrubs or small trees dioecious, up to 4 m (if trees up to 10 m), multi-stemmed, drooping or rarely upright. Bark juniper brown fibrous, exfoliating in thin strips. The branches are stretching or ascending, the branches are straight, trifoliate.

3. European cedar pine, up to 1 years old

Pine tree, usually called European, originally from the mountainous regions of central Europe from the Alps to the Carpathians. It is a slow growing, medium sized pine with a narrow pyramidal shape when young, gradually becoming rounder and more open as it matures.

As a rule, when grown, it reaches 10-15 meters in height, but in its natural habitat it grows up to 30+ meters. Dark green to blue-green soft needles with white tooth lines appear in packs of five.

The buds never open. The cone seeds are edible. The pine nuts eaten in Europe mainly come from pine nuts, namely this species.

2. Pedunculate oak, up to 1 years old

Oak, commonly called pedunculate oak, is native to mixed forest areas from the British Isles to the Caucasus. It is a large, majestic, deciduous oak of the white oak group, which usually grows up to 12-20 meters (but can be much more) in height with a wide, rounded crown.

The trunks are usually short, with ribbed and furrowed dark gray or black bark. Insignificant monoecious yellowish-green flowers in separate male and female catkins appear in the spring as the leaves emerge. The fruits are oval acorns on 1-3 long stems.

1. Yew berry, up to 4 years old

Taxus baccata or berry yew is a long-lived, evergreen, conical tree native to Europe, Southwest Asia and North Africa. Usually grows up to 12-20 meters. Older trees usually develop thick trunks with scaly, reddish-brown bark. The glossy dark green foliage with two needles and two rows is attractive all year round.

Young shoots turn light green. Although classified as a conifer, female yews (dioecious plants) do not produce cones, but instead produce red, ornamentally attractive, berry-like fruits, each with a single seed almost completely surrounded by a fleshy red aryl.

The birds feed on the berry-like fruits and help spread the plants elsewhere. This plant is poisonous, so appetizing-looking fruits should never be eaten: it will end badly.