Methuselah is a Great Basin bristlecone pine (pinus longaeva) that is estimated to be between 4,800-5,000 years old. Its exact location is kept secret for its safety, but it lies somewhere among the aptly named Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains of eastern California — part of the Inyo National Forest. Methuselah and other bristlecone pines are able to grow so old thanks to biological adaptations that have earned them a place in the scientific category of "extremophiles."

They thrive in soils where other trees struggle to grow, thanks to wood that is extremely dense and resinous, making them resistant to insects, fungi and other pests. With adaptations like these, it’s no wonder Methuselah appears here as the oldest living tree.

The "Cypress of Abarqu" is an ancient cyprus tree (Cupressus sempervirens) that is located in the Iranian city of Abarkuh and is estimated to be over 4,000 years old. This would likely make it the oldest tree in Asia. Cyprus is a particularly notable tree species in Iranian history and culture, and appears in Iranian poetry and carvings in Persepolis, the capital of the ancient Achaemenid Empire.

The origins of the tree, also known as the "Zoroastrian Sarv", remain uncertain. An ancient figure, the Cypress of Abarqu rises above many others to make it onto our list of the oldest trees in the world. 

Pando, also known as the "Trembling Giant", is a clonal colony of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) that spans 106 acres of Southern Utah's Fishlake National Forest. What is clonal colony? Unlike the other entries on this list, Pando is not one singular trunk with branches, but instead many biologically identical trunks with a shared root system.

At first glance, Pando's approximately 47,000 aboveground stems appear to be individual trees. Amazingly, each one is a genetically identical part of the same tree, connected by a vast underlying root system that weighs about 13 million pounds. That makes it one of the largest and heaviest land organisms on the planet.

While the Pando is undeniably one of nature’s most impressive accomplishments, field measurements and historical photographs reveal that the tree is shrinking in response to a plethora of threats, including over-grazing.

The world's largest tree by height is the Hyperion, which is a coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and is located somewhere in the heart of Redwood National Park in California. This should come as no surprise: majestic redwoods are among the tallest and oldest trees on the planet, and their existence dates back a whopping 200 million years, to the Jurassic period.

So, how tall is the tallest tree in the world? The Hyperion reaches a staggering 379.1 feet high! Discovered in 2006 by two naturalists and confirmed by redwood expert Stephen Silett, it has quietly grown for an estimated 700-800 years.

Access to this tree by recreational hikers, climbers and tree enthusiasts has been blocked by the National Park Service, with a hefty $5,000 fine for violators. This is for the protection of the tree itself, and the surrounding old growth redwood forest, after visitors were bushwhacking to the remote tree, damaging the understory and leaving trash behind. Park rangers say that from the ground, the tree doesn't really stand out, because you can only see the first 150ft — but the curiosity is understandable.

Just a few hundred feet away from this giant is a clearcut from the 1970’s. That means that Hyperion was maybe weeks away from being cut down due to deforestation before the land was protected with National Park status by the Carter administration. 

Second in line of the world's largest trees is a yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana), named the Menara, that is a whopping 330 feet high. Named after the Malay word for “tower", the Menara is located in Sabah, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. It is also the world's tallest living hardwood tree, having claimed the title from Centurion in 2022, after the tree's top fell off.

Part of what gives the Menara its great height is its near-perfect symmetry, which allows its trunk to grow straight into the air. The yellow meranti species is highly endangered due to over-harvesting, but thanks to protection efforts and the establishment of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, these awe-inspiring monoliths can live on. Wildlife species that are also protected by the Conservation Area include the endangered orangutan, clouded leopard, and forest elephants.

Tualang, the world’s tallest deciduous tree, can also be found in Sabah. Located in Tawau Hills Park in Sabah on the island of Malaysian Borneo, the tree was measured at 281 feet, 4.4 inches high in 2007. It’s name, tualang, is derived from the Malay words of  "tua" (old) and "helang" (eagle).

A member of the legume family, this tree species grows in the rainforests of Sumatra, southern Thailand and the Malaysian Peninsula. Local folklore has helped this tree reach its meteoric heights: the tualang tree is thought to be inhabited by spirits, and it’s considered bad luck to cut them down. 

The biggest tree in the world is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) tree that is located in Sequoia National Park. At an incredible 56,186 cubic feet (as of 2013), it is, by volume, the largest single tree in the world. Also known as General Sherman, this giant sequoia represents the perfect cross-section of height, width, and age.

Some of this giant sequoia's branches are larger than individual trees you would encounter in other forests and parks — and if you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting, you know the overwhelming emotion that accompanies its grandeur. 

While fire plays an important role in their life cycle, General Sherman and other giant sequoia trees are threatened by the increasing size and intensity of forest fires today. To help protect these giants, rangers wrap the first 10-15 feet of their base with a protective foil.

While many of the world’s largest tree species are located in California, El Árbol del Tule, found near Oaxca, Mexico in the town of Tule, makes this list thanks to having the stoutest trunk in the world.

A Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum), measurements place El Árbol del Tule's trunk at 31 ft, 3.5 inches diameter — an impressive accomplishment given that it is "only" 116 feet tall.

By volume, the tree is the third largest in the world, surpassed only by giant sequoia and coast redwood.

Located in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India Thimmamma Marrimanu's combined crowns occupy an area that's equivalent to three soccer fields.

Hindu legend has it that this tree grew from the spot where a widow, Thimmamma, threw herself onto her late husband’s funeral pyre. An incredibly notable banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis), its great size is most apparent when viewed from above.

It has the largest canopy of any tree in the world, covering a distance of 5.41 acres. This impressive tree is cared for by the local forest department, who work to support its young roots, reinforce its larger roots, and water the tree via a specially designed underground pipe system.