IS THIS 600 TO 700 YEAR OLD TREE OLDEST ONE IN B'TOWN?

By Nubia Reyna
Brownsville Herald
Staff Writer

A special ceremony was held at the Palm Resaca Mobile Home Park for the unveiling of a plaque that honors the oldest anacahuita tree in the United States, which is dated approximately 700 years old, on Friday morning.

The tree is located in the park and was measured by botanist and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley professor Andrew McDonald after he was contacted by residents of the home park. He said this tree is in some ways a devotion to creation.

“As you can see right here there’s a bloom and for those who don’t know a bloom means sex, it’s reproduction, it’s creation and it’s very healthy,” he said. “We are really blessed to have a tree this size, we’re blessed to have trees that are small size … only two percent of the valley is undisturbed.”

Beryl Stovell, the resident who started the investigation and has the tree in her backyard, said she had goose bumps when finding out the tree was approximately 700 years old. She said the tree celebrates life.

“It is absolutely wonderful to be one of the custodians of one of the most ancient anacahuita trees that there is and it’s in our yard, in the Palm Resaca Park, and we all love it,” she said. “It never has a time that it doesn’t have a blossom it’s always celebrating life.

(We thank City of Brownsville Commissioner Nurith Galonsky for this superb photo.)

To read rest of story, click on link: https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/recognition-granted-park-receives-plaque-for-oldest-anacahuita-tree-in/article_f5b6ab02-5fff-11ea-9fd1-f39458d2c1a0.html