[Ichneumon]

"100,000 years old" Uh-huh. Cut one and counted the growth rings, did we? Riiiiiiiight. /sarc

Well, since Posidonia Oceanica grows at an average rate of 3 to 10 cm per year, and this one is over 8 kilometers in size, it doesn't take a genius to figure roughly how long this one has been growing, does it?

Save your sarcasm for a case where it's actually waranted, and not just an expression of your lack of knowledge causing you to make incorrect presumptions.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

If indeed 'average' is 'average' and if there were years when conditions yielded growth far in excess of 'average' then the age estimate could in fact be considerably in error.

As I contend it is.

But if you're content with a premise that this plant indeed always grew slowly, then no amount of arguing will change your mind.

No problem.

Believe as you choose.

[bruinbirdman]

Formidable Fungus is World's Largest Organism

What is probably the largest living organism on earth has been discovered in the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. A fungus living three feet underground is estimated to cover 2,200 acres. After testing samples from various locations, scientists say it is all one organism.

One Thousand Football Fields

Officially known as Armillaria ostoyae, or the honey mushroom, the fungus is 3.5 miles across and takes up 1,665 football fields. The small mushrooms visible above ground are only the tip of the iceberg.

Experts estimate that the giant mushroom is at least 2,400 years old, but could be 7,200 years old.

Previously, the world's largest organism was another Armillaria ostoyae, which covers a mere 1,500 acres near Mt. Adams in Washington state.

A Web of Tentacles

Scientists became interested in that section of forest when trees began to die. The honey mushroom uses tentacles, called rhizomorphs, to take water and nutrients from roots, killing trees.

The process benefits the ecosystem by creating clearings where new plants grow. Animals, such as woodpeckers, live in the dead tree trunks. Mushrooms also recycle nutrients.

Dry Climate Helps

The dry climate of eastern Oregon discourages competition from new growth, leaving space for mushrooms already established.

Genetically Closer to People

In other research, scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to human beings and animals than to other plants.

Moreover, while humans and most species are divided into only two sexes, mushrooms contain over 36,000 sexes.

[DannyTN]

This Frenchman was estimated to be more than 1000 years old, based on average adult growth rates.

[aruanan]

"100,000 years old" Uh-huh. Cut one and counted the growth rings, did we? Riiiiiiiight. /sarc Well, since Posidonia Oceanica grows at an average rate of 3 to 10 cm per year, and this one is over 8 kilometers in size, it doesn't take a genius to figure roughly how long this one has been growing, does it?

Given current conditions. But we know that current conditions are just a blip even over the last 100,000 years. Differences in salinity, in water temperature and other factors could have profound effects on growth.