Olive Tree of Mouchão

39°28′23.59″N 8°04′51.41″W

Oliveira do Mouchão, as it is called in Portugal

The Olive Tree of Mouchão (Portuguese: Oliveira do Mouchão) is a tree of the species Olea europaea, considered a Tree of Public Interest [pt] since 2007. It is located in the parish of Mouriscas, a municipality of Abrantes, Portugal.^[1] It came in second place for the Tree of the Year in both 2020 and 2021.^[2]

Age

In 2016, José Luís Lousada, a researcher at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, estimated the tree's age at approximately 3350 years using dendrometry—the measurement of tree dimensions such as trunk diameter. However, dendrometry alone cannot determine the precise age of a tree, especially in ancient olive trees where internal hollowing and variable growth rates complicate direct measurement.^[3][4] According to this assessment with an estimate age precision of 2%, it is considered the oldest tree in Portugal.^[5][6][7] It is additionally one of the oldest olive trees in the world.^[5]

Etymology

Its name derives from mouchão [pt] fishing, since from the beginning of the 20th century, fishermen would gather at the tree before going fishing.^[1]

See also

• Olive tree of Vouves
• Stara Maslina
• List of oldest trees