World's oldest tree planted by humans with a known date – Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaya_Sri_Maha_Bodhi
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is a sacred bo tree (Ficus religiosa) in Mahamewuna Garden in the historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the historical sacred bo tree, Sri Maha Bodhi, which was destroyed during the time of Emperor Ashoka, at Bodh Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) attained enlightenment. In 236 BC, the Buddhist nun Sangamitta Maha Theri, a daughter of Indian Ashoka, brought the tree cutting to Sri Lanka during the reign of Sinhalese King Devanampiya Tissa.[1] At more than 2,300 years old, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The Mahāvaṃsa, or the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, provides an elaborate account of the establishment of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi on the Island and the subsequent development of the site as a major Buddhist pilgrimage site.
Last post on this community got me into a rabbit hole of tree burls, that lead to burl poaching, then old trees in national forests and parks, to oldest trees in general, to asking the question what is the oldest known and documented arboreal living connection to someone from the past. Holy ginkgos, you can make that connection well over 2k years!
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaya_Sri_Maha_Bodhi
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is a sacred bo tree (Ficus religiosa) in Mahamewuna Garden in the historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the historical sacred bo tree, Sri Maha Bodhi, which was destroyed during the time of Emperor Ashoka, at Bodh Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) attained enlightenment. In 236 BC, the Buddhist nun Sangamitta Maha Theri, a daughter of Indian Ashoka, brought the tree cutting to Sri Lanka during the reign of Sinhalese King Devanampiya Tissa.[1] At more than 2,300 years old, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The Mahāvaṃsa, or the great chronicle of the Sinhalese, provides an elaborate account of the establishment of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi on the Island and the subsequent development of the site as a major Buddhist pilgrimage site.
Last post on this community got me into a rabbit hole of tree burls, that lead to burl poaching, then old trees in national forests and parks, to oldest trees in general, to asking the question what is the oldest known and documented arboreal living connection to someone from the past. Holy ginkgos, you can make that connection well over 2k years!
Thank you for mining so far for this gem. 2,300 years is way older than I’d expected!
