The 9,500-year-old tree that is actually a collection of clones

Gardening · Published 19 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Deep in Sweden's Dalarna province stands Old Tjikko, a Norway spruce that predates recorded history. While often celebrated as the world's oldest tree, its true longevity lies hidden underground, where a single ancient root system continuously regenerates new life.

Old Tjikko, located on Fulufjället Mountain, is estimated to have a root system approximately 9,568 years old. However, the visible trunk is much younger, likely only a few centuries old. This discrepancy exists because the tree is a clonal organism. Through processes like vegetative cloning, the original root system survives even as individual trunks die and are replaced. Additionally, heavy winter snow can push branches to the ground, where they sprout new roots through a process called layering.

The tree's age was verified using carbon-14 dating of plant material found beneath the tree. By using carbon-14 analysis on the roots, scientists discovered ages of 375, 5,660, 9,000, and 9,550 years prior to 2008. This suggests the plant likely sprouted around 7550 B.C., a time long before the invention of writing around 4000 B.C. For much of its history, the tree existed in a stunted, shrub-like 'krummholz' formation due to harsh environmental conditions.

The tree's recent appearance has changed significantly. Scientists Leif Kullman and Lisa Öberg observed that during the warming of the 20th century, the tree began growing into a more standard tree formation. They attributed this growth spurt to global warming. The tree's longevity is near the biological limit for this region, as the Fenno-Scandian ice sheet only retreated from Fulufjället Mountain about ten millennia ago. Interestingly, the tree's genetic legacy is being preserved in art; as of July 2024, a climate-controlled installation in Malmö houses a clone created by grafting twigs from Old Tjikko onto other spruce stems.

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