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Top 5 oldest seeds ever successfully germinated

evergreen

Age of the seed when germinated — Living-world superlatives

Snapshot · 2026-05-31

  1. 1

    Silene stenophylla (Siberian permafrost)

    ~32,000 years

  2. 2

    Judean Date Palm ('Methuselah', Masada)

    ~2,000 years

  3. 3

    Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera, China)

    ~1,300 years

  4. 4

    Canna compacta (Argentina)

    ~600 years

  5. 5

    Albizia julibrissin (silk tree, British Museum specimen)

    ~150 years