Fortingall Yew
The Fortingall Yew (Fortingall yew , Taxus baccata ) is considered to be the oldest tree in Europe and the oldest churchyard tree in the world. Their age is estimated to be well over 2000 years.
The European yew tree stands in a churchyard in Fortingall in the Scottish council area of Perth and Kinross . The trunk, which is now split, was measured to be 16 meters in circumference in the late 18th century. An approximate total age was derived from these historical measurements and the increase since then. The estimates range up to about 5000 years.
Yew trees are dioecious , so there are male and female plants. The Fortingall Yew was consistently and exclusively classified as male based on its flowers in the past. In October 2015, however, a botanist from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh discovered a branch that bore three fruits, i.e. it had also developed female flowers. The rest of the tree is clearly still male. Changes in the hormonal balance are assumed to be the cause .
Web links
- Forestry Commission Scotland: Big Trees in Tay Forest Park (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Spiegel Online: UK's oldest tree has changed its sex , November 3, 2015
Coordinates: 56 ° 35 '53 " N , 4 ° 3' 3" W.