Forests photograph beautifully, so tree-themed quizzes are regular Bing visitors, and the Worldwide Trees quiz drew huge search interest when it ran. Tree records split into tallest, oldest and largest, and keeping those three straight wins the round.
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Three records, three trees
Tallest: the coast redwood of California, the specimen named Hyperion tops 115 metres, the tallest known living tree. Largest by volume: General Sherman, a giant sequoia. Oldest individual: bristlecone pines of the American West, with Methuselah dated beyond 4,800 years. A 'biggest tree' question hinges entirely on which record is meant.
Trees with famous tricks
The baobab stores thousands of litres of water in its swollen trunk, Africa's 'tree of life'. Pando, a quaking aspen colony in Utah, is a single organism connected by one root system, often cited among Earth's largest and oldest living things. Bamboo, meanwhile, is technically a grass, a favourite catch.
Forest facts Bing asks
The Amazon's scale, taiga (boreal forest) as the largest land biome, why leaves change colour in autumn (chlorophyll fading, revealing carotenoids and anthocyanins), and how tree rings record age and climate.
Getting the answer
Match the superlative to the right species, tallest/redwood, largest/sequoia, oldest/bristlecone, and verify any measurement question, since record trees are well documented by parks services and botanical sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tallest tree in the world?
The coast redwood of California; the tallest known specimen, Hyperion, stands over 115 metres.
What is the oldest tree in the world?
Bristlecone pines are the oldest individual trees, with Methuselah dated at more than 4,800 years old.
Is bamboo a tree?
No, bamboo is technically a giant grass, one of the tree quiz's favourite trick answers.