Evergreen, winding, mysterious trees grow in many churchyards in Europe. Yews are not uncommon, but few people understand how old they really are.
It is believed that the oldest tree in Europe is the yew in the cemetery of St. Kinoga in Wales. Presumably, its age exceeds 5000 years. There are over 250 yew trees in the UK that are classified as 'ancient', which means they have been growing for over 900 years.
Yew - the oldest tree in the world?
Yew trees are difficult to date accurately, so in 2014 the Welsh yew was subjected to a number of different studies, including DNA analysis and ring counts. Experts are sure that this is the oldest tree in Europe that did not reproduce vegetatively. Scientists from the British Forestry Institute have come to the conclusion that there are 48 rings in one centimeter of a tree trunk, which corresponds to an age of 5,000 years.
According to official figures, the oldest tree in the world is the bristlecone pine in southern California, the exact age of which is 5,068 years. However, it is very difficult to accurately date yew trees, and there are a number of candidates, including St. Kinoga that can rival even this ancient plant.
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Until 2014, the oldest tree in Europe was considered to be the yew in Perthshire, Scotland, which is estimated to be 3-5 millennia old. However, the yew of St. Kinoga was older.
Stonehenge peers
The difficulty in dating yew trees is due to the fact that with age, the central trunk splits into two or more parts, which prevents accurate dating using tree rings.
This applies to both Welsh and Scottish yews - they have a split trunk. But trees are healthy and can live for centuries.
In addition to the look disfigured by time, ancient yew trees can hide traces of history. For example, a cannonball was found inside the trunk of a Crowhurst yew in Surrey, England. It is believed to have got there during the civil war in 1642-1651.
Indeed, if the dating of the yew from the cemetery of St. Kinoga is correct, this tree was no longer a seedling during the construction of Stonehenge and grew for centuries when the Great Pyramid was erected in Giza. By the time the Romans set foot in Britain, the yew tree was thousands of years old.
Symbol of death and resurrection
Yew trees are found in churchyards throughout Europe in part because of their ancient mythological significance. They are closely associated with death and resurrection and often figure in Celtic and Greek traditions as symbols of decline and rebirth.
This is due to their evergreen foliage and exceptionally long lifespan as well as their high regenerative capacity. Although the yew trees appear to have suffered a lot after the splitting of the trunk, they continue to thrive and thrive as if nothing had happened.
Even before the advent of Christianity, yews were planted in spiritually significant places and used in pagan rituals, often associated with death and sacrifice.
Later, the ancient traditions surrounding the yew trees merged with Christian practice. They are used during Great Lent and Easter holidays as a symbol of the death and resurrection of Christ.
For similar reasons, they were often planted in churchyards to watch over the dead and ensure their spiritual resurrection.
The twisted trunks of ancient trees stand at their post in churchyards and cemeteries throughout Europe and will continue to do so for centuries.
Sergey Prots