The most famous ancient trees in the world

From their high branches, for centuries watching them. Those old ancient trees are a testimony of human history, and they deserve respect for longevity. Does Unesco need to include them in the world heritage list?

The botanist Jean-Marie Pelt asserts that 'old trees are unique traces that have surpassed time, with heavy legends and history'. But those forces of nature are less well known than temples. It is an injustice even though they may die, because when they are alive, they are worthy of protection. Marie-Antoinette oak in Versailles castle is a symbol . It was saved thanks to a queen who likes to rest under its shade. It was cut down in February 2005 when it was 324 years old, its body was displayed near the Trianon nursery.

About 50 kilometers from Rouen, there is another oak tree in Allouville-Bellefosse that has stood up since the late 17th century . In 1696, the local diocesan priest carved a recess in the trunk to serve as a chapel and a hermit's dormitory. It has become a pilgrimage site to pray for Our Lady. A century later, when the heads fell like figs, that chapel survived thanks to the genius of teacher Jean-Baptiste Bonheur. He closed the sign of 'Temple of Reason' on the trunk. When the revolutionaries came to try to cut down that "preacher" , they withdrew when they saw the ideal sign of the revolution.

El Arbol tree in Tule city, Mexico
(Photo: mexicomaxico)

The size of these ancient trees corresponds to their age. In Mexico, on the city square of Tule has the ' El Arbol ' tree, a cypress tree more than 2,000 years old with an original circumference of 58 meters. Before the Spaniards invaded in 1556, that cypress lived in the swamp, but was now dry. In 1994, Mexican authorities worried about the tree dying. Experts say that plants are dehydrated. So people started to water the trees regularly and visitors should not get too close to the trees.

However, the old cypress trees are very weak, they are the first victims when the environment is degraded. At Morondava on Madagascar, there is a path of growing giant baobab trees to create a magnificent spectacle. The straight, straight trees rise to the sky, the end is a small foliage. The Mexicans often joked that they were uprooted by the demons and planted uprooted roots. Madagascar has seven of the eight species of baobab in the world, but the baobab in Morondava is threatened by forest fires and villagers often take the roofs of their roofs.

In March, the 'Friends of the Earth' association set out to protect the moabi - the largest tree in the African jungle - that some lived for 2,500 years . Pygmée Aboriginal people view them as forest gods and use them for their healing properties, while the Bantou people take their seeds to extract the oil. The moabi tree protects and nurtures tribes in the Congo River Delta. At the same time they are also a source: 3/4 of the moabi trees are exported to France to close the table. Due to massive deforestation, moabi plants are in danger of extinction in the coming decades. Nearly 80% of primeval forests have been devastated by humans.

The Bristlecone pine trees in the White Mountains in California have the same lifespan as the pyramids in Egypt. They were discovered in the 50s on a height of 3,000 meters, and 17 of them exceeded 4,000 years old, and the oldest 'Mathusalem' tree in the world is now 4,771 years . In 1964, a geography student went to search for an older tree. Due to negligence, he broke the drill in a tree trunk and let the ranger cut the trees. Then it was counted that there were 4,950 rounds of age. It was a record that was too quickly destroyed.

Bristlecone pine in the White Mountains desert ( Photo: scotthaefner)

In Japan, camphor trees are sacred . They grow in Shinto shrines of coastal cities. At Atami is 70 kilometers from Tokyo with the second largest camphor tree in the country. In the 1970s it had withstood a tsunami, its giant tree stalling the onslaught of the rampaging wall of water. From that time the religious people rushed to pray to the tree and walked around the tree. According to legend, each clockwise circle will give people an extra 1 year of life, or a one-year reduction in life if going against it.

At a monastery in the old town Ayatuya 80 kilometers north of Bangkok has a banyan tree whose roots encompass a statue of a Buddha head. But who put the statue there? In the 18th century, the Burmese army invaded the area, plundering temples and beheading the statues. Perhaps one of them accidentally fell into the banyan tree and was hugged by the roots.

An oak tree named 'crow oak' in Erle (Germany) has a formidable form. The previous day was a place to worship Wotan bird gods. It was famous because in the 13th century, the Westphalie emperor set up a secret court under a tree to condemn the opponents. By the 19th century, the trunk was completely rotten. Inside, the Count Clèves opened a party for 20 guests. The stump is 12 meters in diameter, and now the plant has to rely on racks.

A banyan tree in Sri Lanka is the most sacred tree in the world . It originated from the banyan tree that the Buddha sat in the 6th century BC. Before this tree died, a Sri Lankan princess gave her a sapling to grow at Anuradhapura. Recently, the Indian "Tigers" faction intended to blasting the banyan tree they thought was the symbol of that "oppression of Buddhism" .

Banyan tree in Sri Lanka is the most sacred tree in the world (Photo: harappa)

In Madagascar, roots from a single banyan tree have sprouted into many multi-seedlings .200 years ago, a drought threatened the whole country.In order to ease the anger of the gods, the priests sacrificed a virgin.Banyan tree has sprouted from that girl's body.

. 200 years ago, a drought threatened the whole country. In order to ease the anger of the gods, the priests sacrificed a virgin. Banyan tree has sprouted from that girl's body.