TY - JOUR T1 - Radiocarbon Investigation of the Historic African Baobabs of Omusati, Namibia JF - Forests Y1 - 2022 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Rakosy, Laszlo A1 - Rakosy, Demetra A1 - Oliver, Willie A1 - Ratiu, Ileana A. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Shiimbi, Gebhardt A1 - Woodborne, Stephan A1 - von Reden, Karl F. AB - The Omusati region belongs to historic Ovamboland, an area of northern Namibia populated by tribes of the Ovambo group. Four very large African baobabs of Omusati played an important role in historic events of the area, such as the tribal wars and the Namibian War of Independence. The four historic baobabs are the Ombalantu baobab (8 stems; circumference 24.50 m), Okahao baobab (4+ stems; around 25 m), Amadhila baobab (12 stems; 25.35 m) and Sir Howard baobab (9 stems; 31.60 m). Two historic baobabs collapsed totally or partially. The stems of the Amadhila baobab toppled and died in 2021, while 3 stems of the Okahao baobab collapsed a long time ago, but are still alive. Our research aimed to determine the architecture and age of these baobabs. Three baobabs (Ombalantu, Amadhila, Sir Howard) exhibit a closed ring-shaped structure, with a false cavity inside. One baobab (Okahao) had an open ring-shaped structure, before its collapse. Several wood cores were extracted from the baobabs and investigated by radiocarbon dating. The dating results indicate ages of 770 ± 50 years for the Ombalantu baobab, 650 ± 50 years for the Okahao baobab, 1100 ± 50 years for the Amadhila baobab and 750 ± 50 years for the Sir Howard baobab. VL - 13 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1899 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - AGE, GROWTH AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE HISTORIC BIG TREE AT VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE ASSESSED BY RADIOCARBON DATING JF - Dendrochronologia Y1 - 2021 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Rakosy, Laszlo A1 - RATIU, ILEANA ANDREEA A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - von Reden, Karl F. KW - Adansonia digitata KW - Age determination KW - AMS radiocarbon dating KW - growth stop KW - multiple stems KW - tropical trees AB - The article discloses the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the historic Big Tree at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The research aimed to determine the age, growth and architecture of this renowned African baobab. The superlative baobab is composed of five main stems, three young stems and one false stem. It exhibits an open ring-shaped structure, an architecture that allows baobabs to reach large sizes and old ages. Several wood samples extracted from four stems were dated by radiocarbon. The oldest sample had a radiocarbon date of 978 ± 14 BP, corresponding to a calibrated age of 955 ± 20 calendar years. By this value, the Big Tree at Victoria Falls is 1150 ± 50 years old. We found that the eight common stems belong to three generations, which are 1000-1100, 600-700 and 200-250 years old, respectively. The false stem is 550 years old. The stems belonging to the oldest generation stopped growing over 100 years ago. UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1125786521000941 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The demise of the largest and oldest African baobabs JF - Nature Plants Y1 - 2018 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Woodborne, Stephan A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Rakosy, Laszlo A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Hall, Grant A1 - von Reden, Karl F. AB - The African baobab is the biggest and longest-living angiosperm tree. By using radiocarbon dating we identified the stable architectures that enable baobabs to reach large sizes and great ages. We report that 9 of the 13 oldest and 5 of the 6 largest individuals have died, or at least their oldest parts/stems have collapsed and died, over the past 12 years; the cause of the mortalities is still unclear. VL - 4 UR - http://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-018-0170-5 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Radiocarbon dating of the old ash of Aiton, Romania JF - Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia Y1 - 2018 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Rakosy, Laszlo A1 - Ratiu, Ileana-Andreea A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Bodis, Jenő A1 - von Reden, Karl F. AB - The article reports the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon investigation results of the old common ash of Aiton. Five wood samples were collected from the trunk of the tree. The deepest ends of the samples were analysed by AMS radiocarbon. We found radiocarbon dates between 165 ± 20 BP and 240 ± 18 BP, which correspond to calibrated ages of 230 – 360 years. These results, combined with a ring counting estimate, indicate an age of 330 ± 30 years for the ash of Aiton. By this value, the ash of Aiton becomes the oldest known common ash with accurate dating results. © 2018, Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Catedra de Filosofie Sistematica. All rights reserved. VL - 63 UR - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328588965_Radiocarbon_dating_of_the_old_ash_of_Aiton_Romania IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - African Baobabs with a Very Large Number of Stems and False Stems: Radiocarbon Investigation of the Baobab of Warang JF - Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia Y1 - 2017 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Garnaud, ébastien A1 - Ka, Oumar A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Diagne, Tomas A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Forizs, Edit A1 - Bodis, ő A1 - von Reden, Karl F. KW - Adansonia digitata KW - Age determination KW - AMS radiocarbon dating KW - inner cavity KW - multiple stems KW - tropical trees AB - The article presents the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the baobab of Warang, Senegal. The investigation of the baobab revealed that it consists of 18 partially fused stems, which represents the largest number of stems reported for an African baobab. Three stems build the ring that closes a false cavity, while 15 stems grow outside the ring. Seven wood samples were collected from the false cavity and from the outer part of other stems. The dating results evinced that the stems belong to four different generations, out of which the first generation is around 500 years old. We also documented the presence of false stems, which emerge from a large adjacent stem, are triangular in horizontal section and act as an anchor. The baobab of Warang possesses 12 ordinary stems and 6 false stems. VL - 62 UR - http://chem.ubbcluj.ro/~studiachemia/http://chem.ubbcluj.ro/~studiachemia/chemia2017_1.htmlhttp://www.chem.ubbcluj.ro/~studiachemia/issues/chemia2017_1/09Patrut_etal_111_120.pdf IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - African Baobabs with False Inner Cavities: The Radiocarbon Investigation of the Lebombo Eco Trail Baobab JF - PLoS One Y1 - 2015 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - Woodborne, Stephan A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Hall, Grant A1 - Hofmeyr, Michele A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. AB - The article reports the radiocarbon investigation results of the Lebombo Eco Trail tree, a representative African baobab from Mozambique. Several wood samples collected from the large inner cavity and from the outer part of the tree were investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating. According to dating results, the age values of all samples increase from the sampling point with the distance into the wood. For samples collected from the cavity walls, the increase of age values with the distance into the wood (up to a point of maximum age) represents a major anomaly. The only realistic explanation for this anomaly is that such inner cavities are, in fact, natural empty spaces between several fused stems disposed in a ring-shaped structure. We named them false cavities. Several important differences between normal cavities and false cavities are presented. Eventually, we dated other African baobabs with false inner cavities. We found that this new architecture enables baobabs to reach large sizes and old ages. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 1425 +/- 24 BP, which corresponds to a calibrated age of 1355 +/- 15 yr. The dating results also show that the Lebombo baobab consists of five fused stems, with ages between 900 and 1400 years; these five stems build the complete ring. The ring and the false cavity closed 800-900 years ago. The results also indicate that the stems stopped growing toward the false cavity over the past 500 years. VL - 10 IS - 1 N1 - PT: J; TC: 0; UT: WOS:000348470400021 JO - African Baobabs with False Inner Cavities: The Radiocarbon Investigation of the Lebombo Eco Trail Baobab ER - TY - JOUR T1 - AMS radiocarbon dating of very large Grandidier’s baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) JF - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms Y1 - 2015 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Danthu, Pascal A1 - Leong Pock-Tsy, Jean-Michel A1 - Rakosy, Laszlo A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Margineanu, Dragos AB - The article reports the AMS radiocarbon investigation of the two largest known Adansonia grandidieri specimens. The two baobabs, which are named Tsitakakoike and Pregnant baobab, are located in Southwestern Madagascar, near Andombiro. A third specimen from this area, the House baobab, was also investigated. According to measurements, Tsitakakoike is the biggest individual above ground level of all Adansonia species. The House baobab was selected for its exposed structure, which is identical to the closed ring-shaped structure with false cavities identified by us in large and old Adansonia digitata specimens. According to our research, Tsitakakoike and the Pregnant baobab have multi-stemmed cylindrical trunks which are mainly hollow; the two very large baobabs also possess a ring-shaped structure. The radiocarbon dates of the oldest wood samples collected from the large trunks were 1274 ± 20 bp for Tsitakakoike and 930 ± 20 bp for the Pregnant baobab. According to their original positions and to the architectures of the two A. grandidieri, the ages of Tsitakakoike and Pregnant baobab would be between 1300 and 1500 years. Therefore, A. grandidieri becomes the third Adansonia species with individuals that can live over 1000 years, according to accurate dating results. VL - 361 N1 - Cu2hzTimes Cited:2Cited References Count:20 JO - AMS radiocarbon dating of very large Grandidier’s baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Searching for the Oldest Baobab of Madagascar: Radiocarbon Investigation of Large Adansonia rubrostipa Trees JF - PLoS ONE Y1 - 2015 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Danthu, Pascal A1 - Leong Pock-Tsy, Jean-Michel A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. AB - We extended our research on the architecture, growth and age of trees belonging to the genus Adansonia, by starting to investigate large individuals of the most widespread Malagasy species. Our research also intends to identify the oldest baobabs of Madagascar. Here we present results of the radiocarbon investigation of the two most representative Adansonia rubrostipa (fony baobab) specimens, which are located in south-western Madagascar, in the Tsimanampetsotse National Park. We found that the fony baobab called “Grandmother” consists of 3 perfectly fused stems of different ages. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was found to be 1136 ± 16 BP. We estimated that the oldest part of this tree, which is mainly hollow, has an age close to 1,600 yr. This value is comparable to the age of the oldest Adansonia digitata (African baobab) specimens. By its age, the Grandmother is a major candidate for the oldest baobab of Madagascar. The second investigated specimen, called the “polygamous baobab”, consists of 6 partially fused stems of different ages. According to dating results, this fony baobab is 1,000 yr old. This research is the first investigation of the structure and age of Malagasy baobabs. VL - 10 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0121170 IS - 3 JO - Searching for the Oldest Baobab of Madagascar: Radiocarbon Investigation of Large Adansonia rubrostipa Trees ER - TY - JOUR T1 - AMS radiocarbon investigation of the African baobab: Searching for the oldest tree JF - Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms Y1 - 2013 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Mayne, Diana H. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. AB - The Glencoe baobab, a very large specimen from South Africa, split twice in 2009. Several wood samples were collected from the eastern cavity, from the outer part of the main section and also from the largest broken segment which was connected to this section. These wood samples were processed and investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was found to be 1838 +/- 21 BP, which corresponds to a calibrated age of 1835 +/- 40 years. Thus, the Glencoe baobab becomes the oldest dated baobab and also the oldest angiosperm tree with accurate dating results. The distribution of dating results revealed that the Glencoe baobab is a multi-generation tree, with several standing or collapsed and partially fused stems, showing different ages. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. VL - 294 N1 - id: 2246; PT: J; CT: 12th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS); CY: MAR 20-25, 2011; CL: Wellington, NEW ZEALAND; TC: 0; UT: WOS:000313234300120 JO - AMS radiocarbon investigation of the African baobab: Searching for the oldest tree ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Old ages of two historical Romanian trees assessed by AMS radiocarbon dating JF - Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms Y1 - 2013 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Patrut, Roxana T. A1 - Vaida, D. Lucian A1 - Margineanu, Dragos AB - Two large Romanian poplars are considered to be associated with significant historical events of the past. In order to verify these claims, wood samples collected from the broken trunks of the two poplars were radiocarbon dated by AMS. The oldest radiocarbon dates were found to be 275 +/- 20 bp for the black poplar of Mocod and 316 +/- 22 bp for the gray poplar of Rafaila. These values correspond to calibrated ages of 365 +/- 10 and 465 +/- 25 years, respectively. The dating results indicate old ages for the two trees, i.e., 455 years for the Mocod poplar and 560 years for the Rafaila poplar. Such age values validate historical information on the two large Romanian trees. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. VL - 294 N1 - id: 2245; PT: J; CT: 12th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS); CY: MAR 20-25, 2011; CL: Wellington, NEW ZEALAND; TC: 0; UT: WOS:000313234300119 JO - Old ages of two historical Romanian trees assessed by AMS radiocarbon dating ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Age determination of large live trees with inner cavities: radiocarbon dating of Platland tree, a giant African baobab JF - ANNALS OF FOREST SCIENCE Y1 - 2011 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Van Pelt, Robert A1 - Mayne, Diana H. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Margineanu, Dragos KW - Accelerator mass spectrometry KW - Adansonia digitata KW - Age determination KW - Growth rate KW - Radiocarbon dating AB - Introduction For large trees without a continuous sequence of growth rings in their trunk, such as the African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.), the only accurate method for age determination is radiocarbon dating. As of today, this method was limited to dating samples collected from the remains of dead specimens. Methods Our research extends significantly the dating of such trees to large live specimens with inner cavities. The new approach is based on collecting samples from the cavities and their subsequent radiocarbon dating. Results The giant two-stemmed Platland tree, also known as Sunland baobab, was investigated by using this new approach. AMS radiocarbon dates of the oldest sample segments originating from the two inner cavities indicate that the large stem I (364.5 m(3)) is 750 +/- 75 years old, while the much smaller stem II (136.7 m(3)) has 1,060 +/- 75 years. Results also show that stem I is still growing very fast, while the older stem II slowed down consistently its growth over the past 250 years. The complete mapping of Platland tree determined an overall wood volume of 501.2 m(3). Conclusions Dating results demonstrate that the size-age relation cannot be used for estimating accurately the age of African baobabs. VL - 68 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Comparative AMS radiocarbon dating of pretreated versus non-pretreated tropical wood samples JF - Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms Y1 - 2010 A1 - Patrut, Adrian A1 - von Reden, Karl F. A1 - Lowy, Daniel A. A1 - Mayne, Diana H. A1 - Elder, Kathryn E. A1 - Roberts, Mark L. A1 - McNichol, Ann P. AB - Several wood samples collected from Dorslandboom, a large iconic African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) from Namibia, were investigated by AMS radiocarbon dating subsequent to pretreatment and, alternatively, without pretreatment. The comparative statistical evaluation of results showed that there were no significant differences between fraction modern values and radiocarbon dates of the samples analyzed after pretreatment and without pretreatment, respectively. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 993 +/- 20 BP. Dating results also revealed that Dorslandboom is a multi-generation tree, with several stems showing different ages. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. VL - 268 IS - 7-8 N1 - id: 2083; PT: J; CT: 11th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry; CY: SEP 14-19, 2008; CL: Rome, ITALY; SP: Univ Salento, CEDAD, Second Univ Naples, CIRCE, INNOVA, Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, LABEC, Abdus Salam Int Ctr Theoret Phys; UT: WOS:000277462300058 JO - Comparative AMS radiocarbon dating of pretreated versus non-pretreated tropical wood samples ER -