Discovered the oldest plant in the european continent
24.01.2025
An international research team, coordinated by the University of Padua, has recently discovered the oldest woody plant in the European continent. I
t is not a majestic tree, but a common juniper shrub that grows in northern Finnish Lapland. With a trunk that does not exceed 10 centimetres in height, this shrub has reached the incredible age of 1647 years, surpassing by more than four centuries the oldest recognised trees in Europe.
The research, led by Marco Carrer, a forest ecologist and professor at the Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Padua, has been published in the journal «Ecology» of the Ecological Society of America. The study, titled "Common juniper, the oldest nonclonal woody species across the tundra biome and the European continent" has revealed surprising details about this species.
Angela Luisa Prendin, one of the Padua authors of the study, explains: «We study the wood rings from which we extract valuable information regarding climate changes and vegetation development. However, when venturing to the far north, trees give way to smaller plants. Hence, the need to focus on a very common and long-lived species, but capable of producing rings like trees: the juniper was perfect for our studies, and so we began the analyses.
The common juniper, best known as a spice in cooking or an ingredient for gin production, is also the most widespread woody species on the planet. «It is found from sea level to the upper limits of vegetation, from Alaska to Etna, from Japan to Scotland. It is an extremely eclectic species, capable of tolerating scorching temperatures and aridity, such as in sandy dunes, or, conversely, freezing environments near glaciers. Today, this record is joined by that of being the world's oldest shrub» says Marco Carrer.
Determining the exact age of these individuals is not simple. Raffaella Dibona, co-author of the research, explains: «It is necessary to precisely measure each individual ring and compare the measurements with those taken on other individuals collected in the same area. In the end, however, a certain value is reached, much more accurate than those provided by the more well-known Carbon-14 method».
This discovery not only enriches our knowledge of plant longevity but also highlights the importance of continuing to explore the most extreme ecosystems. Better understanding the challenges that woody species and all vegetation will face in a rapidly changing climate is crucial for biodiversity conservation.
