Trees

The most common and oldest plant in the universe would undoubtedly be the tree. This woody perennial plant has a trunk that supports a vast network of branches, off the ground. The trunk itself is supported firmly into the ground by a rich system of roots.

Trees are used for a number of functions. In Africa for example, it is not uncommon to see a forest being cut down and the wood being used as a source of fuel in form of firewood and charcoal. Other general purposes and which are common the world over are providing home to wild animals, acting as windbreakers and hence preventing damage that is as a result of strong winds, preventing soil erosion by holding the soil firmly together and creating balance between the gases. This happens when the plants take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen which we breath in, not forgetting that they help in rain formation through a process called transpiration.

Not all woody plants qualify as trees. By specific standards, these plants grow up to a length of three meters in height and at least thirty centimeters in width. Those that do not meet the standards are called shrubs. Some of these plants grow to amazingly long heights, with Sequoia Sempervirens reaching heights of just over 115 meters. It is found at the Redwood National Park, California, in the United States of America .

It is hard to determine how old the oldest woody plant is, but estimates show that the oldest is the Pinus longaeva, which could be 4844 years old, but this is open to discussion. This can show you just how important these plants are to humans, if they’ve been in use for all these years.

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