Even The Oldest Tree In Britain Has Refused To Be Transgender!

The oldest tree in Britain which was classed as a male seems to have come to say she is a female. A Fortingall Yew tree in Perthire Scotland, which is believe to be about 5000 years old and which has long been classed as a dude has come out to prove everyone wrong. The tree may have had a sex exchange by starting to sprout berries, a clear indication she is a brunette  Yew,

 

The gnarled tree is in an old church yard, and is difficult to age because its heartwood - the wood in the centre of the tree - has long rotted away. Scientists have been able to estimate the tree's age by comparing its current size with measurements taken in the 1700s.

 

Mr Coleman wrote in his blog: 'Yews are normally either male or female and in autumn and winter sexing yews is generally easy.  'Males have small spherical structures that release clouds of pollen when they mature. Females hold bright red berries from autumn into winter.  'It was, therefore, quite a surprise to me to find a group of three ripe red berries on the Fortingal yew this October when the rest of the tree was clearly male. 

Odd as it may seem, yews, and many other conifers that have seperate sexes, have been observed to switch sex. 'Normally this switch occurs on part of the crown rather than the entire tree changing sex. In the Fortingall Yew it seems that one small branch in the outer part of the crown has switched and now behaves as female.'

 

THE TREES THAT CAN CHANGE SEX

Although it may seem unusual, Dr Coleman said that yew trees have been observed to change sex.  'Odd as it may seem, yews, and many other conifers that have separate sexes, have been observed to switch sex.

 

Normally this switch occurs on part of the crown rather than the entire tree changing sex.  'In the Fortingall Yew it seems that one small branch in the outer part of the crown has switched and now behaves as female.' It is difficult to calculate the age of ancient yews, as their annual growth rings rot away.

 

A girth measurement in 1769 suggested the Fortingall Yew could be up to 5,000 years old. It has more recently been estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000 years old. Kudos to Mail Online