Old Olive tree, Vouves, Greece
Posted by: seal13
N 35° 29.208 E 023° 47.212
34S E 752823 N 3930601
The olive tree of Vuves (in Crete) is known to be one of the oldest ones in the world.
Waymark Code: WM12QW3
Location: Greece
Date Posted: 07/04/2020
Views: 5
The Olive tree of Vouves is an olive tree in the village of Ano Vouves in the city of Kolymvari in Chania region, Crete, Greece.
It's claimed to be the « oldest Olive tree in the World ». But currently, the exact age of the tree cannot be determined.
The use of radioisotopes is not possible, as its heartwood has been lost down the centuries (you can even, safely for it, go inside the tree!). The tree ring analysis demonstrated the tree to be at least 2000 years old. But scientists from the University of Crete have estimated it to be 4,000 years old. Another potential indicator of its age could be the two cemeteries from the Geometric Period (around -900 and -700 BC) discovered near the tree.
Current research in Crete and abroad indicates that earlier estimates of the age of olive trees are to be debated as far as their accuracy. There is not yet an agreed upon scientific method to ascertain the age of olive trees. In the case of the Vouves Olive, it could be much younger than earlier estimates or even than the ancient tree in Finix (Sfakia).
The tree remains productive to this day, having been grafted with the cultivar 'Tsounati'.[1] The trunk has a perimeter of 12.5 m (41 ft) and a diameter of 4.6 m (15 ft).
The tree is in a public area and it's possible to park nearby in the public parking for tourists.
Genus/Species: Olive tree
Height: 14
Girth: 41
Method of obtaining height: Reliable source
Method of obtaining girth: Reliable source
Location type: Other public property
Age: 2000
Website reference: [Web Link]
Walk time: 2
Historical significance: Not listed
Planter: Not listed
Parking coordinates: Not Listed
Photograpy coordinates: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
A closeup picture of your GPS receiver in your hand, with the tree in the background, is required. If the tree is on private property, this closeup photograph with the tree in the background may be taken from the nearest public vantage point without actually going to the tree.
The required photograph does not need to show the entire tree, but the individual tree must be recognizable.