Researchers from the University of Padua in Italy found a juniper at Utsjoki in Finnish Lapland, which they analyzed to be 1,647 years old by examining the annual rings. The paper is published in the journal Ecology.

According to the researchers' analysis, the juniper started its growth at Utsjoki in 260 CE and died in 1906. It is likely that the juniper started growing even earlier, as it is almost impossible to count all the years of the plant's life. It is the oldest shrub in the world dated by annual rings and the oldest woody plant in Europe determined with this method.

"Juniper is the most widespread woody species in the world. It is found from sea level to the upper limits of vegetation, from Alaska to Etna, from Japan to Scotland. It is an extremely eclectic species, capable of tolerating scorching temperatures and aridity, such as in sandy dunes, or, conversely, in freezing environments near glaciers. Today, this record is joined by that of being the world's oldest shrub," says leader of the research team, Professor Marco Carrer from the University of Padua.

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