I was wrong about the oldest living plant for my whole life

I always thought the oldest living thing was a bristlecone pine, like the one in California. Then I watched a show on the BBC last night and they said it's actually a patch of sea grass in the Mediterranean. They said it's over 100,000 years old and just clones itself over and over. That blew my mind because I've spent years telling people about the 5,000 year old trees. It makes you think about how we define a single 'plant' versus a whole system. The show said scientists found it near Spain and it just keeps spreading. It really changed how I see what being alive even means for a plant. What's the most surprising plant fact you've learned recently?

4 comments

4 Comments

juliarodriguez1mo agoMost Upvoted

That sea grass basically pulled a long con on everyone. Just tell people you're talking about the root system and the individual shoots are temporary - it's not that different from how a lot of perennials work under the soil.

smith.parker2mo ago

So if it clones itself, does that mean it's one big plant or a bunch of copies?

wade2502mo ago

Guess I've been bragging about my 10 year old houseplant like it's a big deal. This sea grass just put my whole life into a very small, very young box.

harper9142mo ago

Right? It makes my five year old cactus look like a baby sprout. Nature's time scale is just wild.