Oldest Living Plant

[#gondwana]

Regarding the posting below, I can't quote a source at this moment, but
I had heard that crosote bushes in the California Mojave desert form
outwardly growing rings which expand over the millenia, and one in
particular was (as I recall) well over 60,000 years old.

Can anyone confirm this?

DD



Mark Feider wrote:
> 
> Subject: Re: Oldest living plant?
> Reply-To: jheinis at nettally.com
>      To: raquel guerra <rguerra at haverford.edu>
> 
> raquel guerra wrote:
> >
> > Hi!
> >
> > I over heard on the news this morning that scientist have
> > discovered the oldest known living plant in Tasmania--does anyone
> > have any info on this?  I would really appreicate it!
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Raquel
> I don't really know, but there are some pretty old Cycads in Australia,
> One I remember is called Metazamia.
> I saw some big cycads in Darwin just a couple of weeks ago.
> 
> So, try Metazamia.
> (Acutally some desert plants may even be older - in SW USA)
> JULIUS
> 
> Greetings:
> Here is some information regarding your question regarding recent reports on
> the worlds oldest plant; taken from the following source....
> 
> GREENLines, Tues., July 15, 1997 from GREEN,
> the Grassroots Environmental Effectiveness Network,
> A project of Defenders of Wildlife.
> (202)789-2844x290 or email rfeather at clark.net
> 
> OLDEST PLANT:  Reuters reports that Australian botanists have found the
> world's oldest living plant.  Carbon dating has determined that a
> naturally cloned shrub called Lomatia tasmania, or King's Holly found
> in wilderness on the Australian island of Tasmania is 43,000 years old.
>  Until this finding, botanists had thought that the oldest living plant
> was a 13,000-year-old huckleberry found in the United States.
> 
> Glad to share this with you,
> 
> Mark Feider