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Fortingall Churchyard

Buried stones and yew trees

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Telepathine T
Telepathine Jan 3, 2002 15:36:55
Replying to IronMan

I guess a certain mythology has grown up around Yew trees (no pun intended), because they can be exceptionally long lived. Generally, if old enough, it's about the only tree that can regrow itself from re rooting it's branches (i.e. where the branches reach the ground, they take root, and feed the tree when the heartwood has died and rotted away, leading to an humungous girth, and the appearance of the tree being part of a group or 'grove' for want of a better word).
I think there is a huge on in Hampshire somewhere rumoured to be 3000 years old or something. Not quite as old as the Bristle Cone Pines of North America which some are believed to be upwards of 5000 years +, but fairly old for Europe.
Though having said that, there are Hornbeams in Epping Forest which are around 1000 years old due to prolonged coppicing.

F FourWinds
FourWinds Jan 3, 2002 15:52:03
Replying to Telepathine

There is one little Australian plant that does what the yew does, i.e. root from it's branches and spread. For years no one understood why the Australian Aboriginals revered this plant. With this Aussie plant the center dies and so you get a ring of the plants that grows with each generation. Because they are all root from the same parent they are all technically clones and therefor still the same living organism. Some are estimated to be 10,000 to 15,000 years old!

Again, the longevity and rebirthing of this plant probably makes it so 'sacred'.