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The Balderschwang Yew () is an ancient European yew (''
The yew has two separate trunks. The comparison of morphological features of the leaves and the time of their sprouting suggested that the trunks belonged to the same root system and a DNA test proved that they form a single organism. It is not known whether a central trunk existed: Ullrich, Kühn, and Kühn mention the possibility that the trunks regrew from a stump left after a forest clearing or natural decay, but also mention the opinion of other experts who believe the tree always had two trunks.Ullrich, Kühn, Kühn 2012, p. 259
The circumferences of the trunks at the point of their smallest diameter were measured in 2000 to and metres, and the total circumference was measured in 2007 at metres. The crown of the tree is tall.Fröhlich 1990, p. 183
The tree has been battered by storms and the weight of snow lying on the branches. The trunks are hollow but the tree's foliage is complete and it still sends out fresh shoots. The yew is male.
The tree possesses the characteristics of an ancient yew and its age was estimated at between 600 and 1,000 years. Ullrich, Kühn, and Kühn estimated an age of up to 800 years, even if the trunks have not regrown from a stump. If they have, the tree would be much older.
Municipality web page
(in German) {{Coord, 47, 28, 05.6, N, 10, 06, 55.5, E, display=title Individual yew trees Natural monuments in Bavaria Individual trees in Germany
The Balderschwang Yew () is an ancient European yew (''Taxus baccata
''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family (botany), family Taxaceae, native to Western Europe, Central Europe and Southern Europe, as well as Northwest Africa, and parts of Southwest Asia.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Bri ...
'') in Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. It has two hollow trunks and stands alone on a mountain pasture. It is estimated to be between 600 and 1,000 years old, and is possibly the oldest tree in Germany.
Location
The yew is found nearBalderschwang
Balderschwang is a municipality in the district of Oberallgäu in Bavaria in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the ...
in Oberallgäu
Oberallgäu is a Districts of Germany, ''Landkreis'' (district) in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by (from the north and clockwise) the districts of Unterallgäu and Ostallgäu, the Austrian states State of Tyrol, Tyrol a ...
, Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, at an elevation of , a few hundred metres above the municipality and exposed on a seasonal mountain pasture.Fröhlich 2000, p. 317 Its location is to the northeast of Balderschwang and to the west of Sonthofen
Sonthofen is the southernmost Town#Germany, town of Germany, located in the Oberallgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. Neighbouring Oberstdorf is situated 14 km farther south but is classified as a market town. In 2005, Sonthofen was awarded ...
; it overlooks the rolling foothills of the Bavarian Alpine Foreland
The Alpine Foreland, less commonly called the Bavarian Foreland,Dickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, pp. 585-586. . Bavarian Plateau or Bavarian Alpine Foreland (), refers to a tria ...
.Ullrich, Kühn, Kühn 2010, p. 171
The tree
The yew has two separate trunks. The comparison of morphological features of the leaves and the time of their sprouting suggested that the trunks belonged to the same root system and a DNA test proved that they form a single organism. It is not known whether a central trunk existed: Ullrich, Kühn, and Kühn mention the possibility that the trunks regrew from a stump left after a forest clearing or natural decay, but also mention the opinion of other experts who believe the tree always had two trunks.Ullrich, Kühn, Kühn 2012, p. 259
The circumferences of the trunks at the point of their smallest diameter were measured in 2000 to and metres, and the total circumference was measured in 2007 at metres. The crown of the tree is tall.Fröhlich 1990, p. 183
The tree has been battered by storms and the weight of snow lying on the branches. The trunks are hollow but the tree's foliage is complete and it still sends out fresh shoots. The yew is male.
Age
The tree possesses the characteristics of an ancient yew and its age was estimated at between 600 and 1,000 years. Ullrich, Kühn, and Kühn estimated an age of up to 800 years, even if the trunks have not regrown from a stump. If they have, the tree would be much older.
See also
*List of individual trees
The following is a list of individual trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as we ...
Notes
References
* * * *External links
Municipality web page
(in German) {{Coord, 47, 28, 05.6, N, 10, 06, 55.5, E, display=title Individual yew trees Natural monuments in Bavaria Individual trees in Germany