Extinct kind of tree revived

Fascinating

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/extinct-tree-grows-anew-after-archaeo...

Fascinating indeed! I wonder if she's had any success getting other seeds to sprout since that article was posted?

Plant more!

Fantastic. I hope it bears fruit!

Remarkable for the seed's viability. Reportedly two others from the collection did not sprout. I doubt the extinction part, though. If the seed was viable, the plant was never technically extinct. Also it is a Phoenix dactylifera, the date palm, a common tree throughout the Old World, with many varieties. Date production died out in the local area (Jordan valley) in the 14th century, probably because of climate change. Individual trees may have survived, though. Also there is no knowledge that the date palms in ancient Judea were all of the same variety. Still, this Methuselah plant does differ somewhat from other present-day varieties that botanists have compared it with. Methuselah will not bear fruit because it is a male tree. It has successfully pollinated an Egyptian date palm, however.

Information gleaned from Wikipedia (Judean Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix, and Aricaceae), and further reporting on Treehugger.