Topic: Amazing Ancient Trees
About this Topic
A look at five trees that can live for 1000 years or more and that have had a significant cultural and spiritual effect on the generations of humans that have shared their company.
Religious groups, artists and writers have been inspired by the longevity and majesty of these trees, and the trees or their products have come to symbolise important ideas like peace, immortality, power, strength, and victory.
The Olive Tree
In the first session, we take a look at the olive tree. There are olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane near Jerusalem and in the French Riviera that are estimated to be over 2000 years old. Olives …
The Yew Tree
This session, we explore our second ancient tree—the Yew Tree (taxus baccata) which is mainly found in mixed woodlands in northern Europe, as well as in ornamental gardens and churchyards. Like many…
The Fig Tree
In common with the olive tree and the Yew Tree, the fig tree can not only live for many centuries, but has a place in the cultures of diverse civilizations. In all three cases, the tree or individual …
The Oak Tree
Quercus robur (the English or European oak) has an important part to play, both in the ecology and in the culture of the British Isles. As well as growing in Europe, where it is native, it has been cu…
The Ginkgo
This session we bring to an end our Amazing Ancient Trees Ray with the ginkgo. I, for one, have been fascinated by the many roles ancient trees play in our lives and in the life of our planet. The gin…