Rohan H. Wickramasinghe wrote: > On Thu, 23 Oct 1997 14:35:11 -1100, > "David South"<southd@fri.cri.nz> wrote: > > On the subject of big trees, where are some of > the world's largest PLANTED > trees? I expect > there are some ones in Europe, India, China, South > Africa and > New Zealand. If you know any details > about a large planted tree in your> country, send > the info to dsouth@forestry.auburn.edu and I will > post it on the> web page. > > > > http://sofserv.forestry.auburn.edu/people/ > faculty/biology/south/planted.html > > > > David South > > School of Forestry > > Auburn University > > > > Hello, > > Are you only interested in trees that are old and * huge * ? > In Sri Lanka we have what is said to be the oldest > * historical * tree. This is a Bo tree (* Ficus religiosa *) > in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is said to have been brought > as a sapling from India by Princess Sanghamitta, daughter of > King Dharmasoka around 2300 B.C. It is said that the original > tree from which the sapling was obtained was the one under > which Gautama Buddha received enlightment over 2500 years > ago. The original tree is, however, no more which makes that > in Sri Lanka the oldest remaining historical tree. > > Also, there is a tamarind tree (* Tamarindus indica * or is > it * T. indicus * (?)) on the Elahera-Bakamuna road in Sri > Lanka, which, I am told, is the fourth oldest historical tree > in the world. It is reported to be over 1700 years old dating > from the reign of King Mahasen (276-304 A.D.) whose name is > still revered in connection with the irrigation schemes of > that region. The tree's Sinhala name, * Orubendi Siyambalawe *, > means the tamarind tree to which canoes were tied in that > period. I have been told that the tamarind, though widespread, > is not indigenous to Sri Lanka, so this tree could qualify as > a planted tree, I suppose. > > Finally, I should mention that the Heneratgoda Botanical > Gardens, a few miles from Colombo, were the location > where the first rubber trees (* Hevea brasiliensis *) > were planted in Asia. These were seedlings which were > brought from Kew in 1876. > > The above is from memory with some material (on the tamarind > tree) from a newspaper article, so more details could perhaps > be checked out from a more authoritative source than I have > available with me at present. > > Regards, > > Rohan H. Wickramasinghe, > Institute for Tropical Environmental Studies, > 41 Flower Road, > Colombo 7, > Sri Lanka > (e-mail: rohan@ites.ac.lk) Hello. This is response to your question about big / old trees. I believe a Dr. Larson from the University of Guelph's Enviromental Science Department, Guelph Ontario Canada. Has found some eastern white cedar Thuj occidentalis on the Niagara Escarpment East of Guelph that are between 1500 and 2000 years old. They are not large maybe 10 - 30 cm at dbh, but they certianly are old. You can get a hold of Dr. Larson at http://www.uoguelph.ca/botany/larson.htm Will Stafford Lakehead University Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada
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