How Many Years Can a Phoenix Tree Live? Tree Age Explained Once and for All
The phoenix tree (Firmiana simplex) is a very common tree, and many city roads are planted with phoenix trees; there is even a legend that the “phoenix” will not perch on any tree but the phoenix tree. So how many years can a phoenix tree live?
1. How many years can a phoenix tree live?
A phoenix tree can generally live more than a hundred years. In Hotan, Xinjiang, there is an ancient phoenix tree about 30 m tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height of 2.7 m, a trunk circumference at breast height of 8.75 m, and a crown covering 1.5 mu of ground. Its age was determined by relevant experts from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to be about 1000 years.
2. Introduction to the phoenix tree
The phoenix tree grows fast. Its wood is suitable for making musical instruments, its bark can be used for papermaking and ropes, and its seeds can be eaten or pressed for oil. Because its trunk is smooth and its leaves are large and graceful, it is a famous ornamental tree species. Many legendary guqins were made from phoenix tree wood, and the phoenix tree has an important role in Chinese culture. The essay of the same name, Phoenix Tree, by the writer Feng Zikai can be called a fine piece. The phoenix tree has been introduced to many countries in Europe, the Americas and elsewhere as an ornamental tree species.
3. Characteristics of the phoenix tree
The phoenix tree likes light and prefers well-drained, moist, deep acidic, neutral or calcareous soil; it is tolerant of severe cold, drought and poor soil, and should not be planted in waterlogged lowlands or saline-alkali land; it is not tolerant of waterlogging or weed competition, and its bark is not tolerant of scorching sun. The phoenix tree has a thick taproot and a relatively long lifespan, and can live more than a hundred years; its sprouting ability is weak, it sprouts late in spring, but it sheds its leaves very early in autumn.
The phoenix tree is mostly cultivated artificially, takes root easily, and is also tolerant of pruning, so it can be widely planted as a street and greening tree species. As a fast-growing timber tree species, it can also be used to adorn gardens and the area in front of houses. The phoenix tree has a strong ability to absorb toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide and chlorine; its wood is light and soft and can be used to make wooden boxes and musical instruments; its seeds can be eaten or pressed for oil; its root bark, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds can all be used medicinally, having the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and treating diarrhea, hernia and premature graying of hair and beard; its wood shavings can be soaked to release mucilage, and its bark fiber can be used as material for papermaking and rope making.
The phoenix tree is a relatively common ornamental tree, and many phoenix trees are very old, so we need to protect old trees.