The tree that University of São Paulo scholars consider the oldest one in Brazil in Vassununga State Park, in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, in the state of São Paulo, can now be visited again. The park, which completed 51 years on October 26^th, celebrated its anniversary by reopening to the public after closing for three years. First, it was closed because of a wild boar invasion and then later due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At 42 metres tall and with a circumference of 12.30 metres, the old tree is known as the Patriarca and, according to researchers, is between 600 and 900 years old. It is the largest pink jequitibá tree in São Paulo, according to Fundação Florestal. It takes a ring of 13 people to circle the tree whose height is equivalent to a 13-story building.

Another tree of the same species, the Matriarca, is thought to be close in age, 600 years, but is considered younger because its circumference (11.88 metres) is smaller – one of the ways to estimate the age of a tree is by measuring the width of its trunk. With 44 metres in height, however, the Matriarca is taller than the Patriarca.

With more than 2,000 hectares (the equivalent to 2,000 football stadiums), the park includes trails – which can be visited by foot, by bicycle or by car – and signage to learn about the many trees – there are more than 300 species of large-sized jequitibás there. There are also many animals, such as the blue parrot, the quail-dove, the woodpecker, and the great kiskadee as well as mammals including capybaras, agoutis, maned wolves, capuchin monkeys, and even cougars.

Visits are supervised and can be scheduled online through the link: bit.ly/visita-parque

Patriarca

Species: Pink Jequitibá (Cariniana legalis)

Age: between 600 and 900 years old

Height: 42 metres (the equivalent to a 13-story building)

Circumference: 12.30 metres (13 people are required to circle it)

Depth of roots: 18 metres (which corresponds to a six-story building)

Weight: 264 tons (the equivalent to 53 adult elephants)

Questions

1) Which of the alternatives is true?

a) The Matriarca is 51 years old.

b) The Patriarca is 12.3 metres in diameter.

c) The Matriarca is taller than the Patriarca.

d) The Matriarca is older than the Patriarca.

2) Where is the biggest tree you have ever seen?

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