Thank you, bengz. I’ve been studying Pango with great interest for years since my university days at Va. Tech in the late 70s. Pango’s story really tickles the imagination, doesn’t it. His very existance will confound many while inspiring others.

While it's true all parts are genetically identical, it's hard to reconcile this as a single "tree" as most of us recognize that term :-) A vast colony certainly but each part could be grown independent of its brothers, thereby making each stem unique to itself. And it's even in some dispute as Pando being the largest living organism (as it is most often referred to) as an Armillaria fungus in Oregon takes that honor, covering 2.4 thousand acres compared to Pando's 108 acres.

Both of these massive growths are fascinating and definitely worth further study. Pando is even more striking when seen from the air. The fungus is not very visible :-)

rhizo, I remember you long ago saying that you were at VA Tech in the late 70s -- so was I. I was in the engineering Dept. Worked after that for quite a few years in the general area -- Giles Co,

Hi, fellow Hokie! 🦃 I think back on my days in Blacksburg with such fondness; I just loved that whole beautiful area.

Well, the article says that it is the largest tree and ONE of the largest organisms on earth. It It’s been proven that this mass originated from one seed and its many individual trunks are conjoined by the same root system. Scientists can’t determine how many thousands of years ago ”it” was born. But Pando is more than a mere clone, it is one individual.

The armillaria could also be sectioned and have the separate pieces grow on. (Which is part of the problem with armillaria acting as a pathogen on agricultural or horticultural sites - tiny pieces of infested root left after physical removal attempts are enough to maintain the infestation). Yet would still not then consist of multiple different individuals, with their own DNA.

"Scientists can’t determine how many thousands of years ago ”it” was born"

True, but I still think I might have to call a foul when the Smithsonian says, "No one knows Pando's exact age, with some estimates dating it to the end of the last ice age, or about 25,000 years ago, and others going as far back as 80,000 years."

25,000 to 80,000 years would be a bit of a stretch, since as the Friends of Pando website states, "most scientists agree that it could not be any older than 12,000 years old", i.e. the approximate end of the last glacial period. Perhaps not impossible to be older than 12,000 years, but almost certainly no older than the last glacial maximum, about 20,000 years ago.

IMO, a tree has to have a distinct trunk. I think General Sherman still holds the honor.

Thanks, Embo -- interesting explanation.