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Oldest Known Tree Species: Is it Ginkgo biloba?

“What is the world's oldest known tree species?​”
Ginkgo biloba
Confidence: High Checked on June 30, 2026

Summary

The Ginkgo biloba species is recognized as the world's oldest known tree species, having remained essentially unchanged for more than 200 million years, making it a living fossil far older than any other extant tree lineage.

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Sources 60 searched

usda.gov
nhmu.utah.edu
e360.yale.edu
  • The Life Story of The Oldest Tree on Earth - Yale E360

    But botanist Peter Crane sees the ginkgo as much more — an oddity in nature because it is a single species with no known living relatives; a living fossil that has been essentially unchanged for more than 200 million years; and an inspiring ...

bbc.com
en.wikipedia.org
  • List of oldest trees - Wikipedia

    Some of the ages are based on tree size, which is known to have 20% error. Ages in this table should be treated as speculative. As with all long-lived plant and fungal species, no individual part of a clonal colony is alive (in the sense of active metabolism) for more than a very small fraction ...

treesatlanta.org
  • The Oldest Tree in the World | Trees Atlanta

    However, one species in particular outlives them all. The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) has been deemed the oldest tree in existence, reaching an age of over 5,000 years old.

onetreeplanted.org
conservation.org
oldest.org
  • 10 Oldest Trees in the World

    In 2013, a group of artists were given permission by Seminole County to make vases, pens, flutes and sculptures from the charred remains of The Senator to pay respect to the fallen tree. Age: 3,646 years Species: Patagonian Cypress (Fitzroya ...

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