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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb, and no one knew until 2001
By Faiz Siddiqui
Moses Weisberg was walking his bicycle through the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington when he stopped at a mushroom-shaped tree. The first thing he noticed was the thickness of the trunk, estimated at almost a foot and a half in diameter. And then there was the abundance of spindly leaves, a healthy head of hair for a botanical relic 390 years old.
But it was only when he learned the full history of the tree, a Japanese white pine donated in 1976, that he was truly stunned. The tree, a part of the Arboretums National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, has not only navigated the perils of age to become the collections oldest, but it also survived the blast of an atomic bomb, Little Boy, dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
For one, its amazing to think that something could have survived an atomic blast, said Weisberg, a 26-year-old student at the Georgetown University Law Center. And then that by some happenstance a Japanese tree from the 1600s ended up here.
The bonsai trees history is being honored this week, as Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. But visitors can see the tree as part of the museums permanent collection throughout the year.
But it was only when he learned the full history of the tree, a Japanese white pine donated in 1976, that he was truly stunned. The tree, a part of the Arboretums National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, has not only navigated the perils of age to become the collections oldest, but it also survived the blast of an atomic bomb, Little Boy, dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
For one, its amazing to think that something could have survived an atomic blast, said Weisberg, a 26-year-old student at the Georgetown University Law Center. And then that by some happenstance a Japanese tree from the 1600s ended up here.
The bonsai trees history is being honored this week, as Thursday marks the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. But visitors can see the tree as part of the museums permanent collection throughout the year.
Snip
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-390-year-old-tree-that-survived-an-atomic-bomb/2015/08/02/3f824dae-3945-11e5-8e98-115a3cf7d7ae_story.html
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This 390-year-old bonsai tree survived an atomic bomb, and no one knew until 2001 (Original Post)
LiberalArkie
Dec 2015
OP
haikugal
(6,476 posts)1. We need to make another visit to DC and we have to look this tree up.
We will visit the Arboretum's Bonzai museum...didn't know about it before this post. Thanks!
callous taoboy
(4,585 posts)2. That is a sight for sore eyes. Thanks you for posting.
Docreed2003
(16,862 posts)3. Incredibly beautiful post...thank you. Nt
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)4. I sincerely hope it's well guarded.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)5. These things have always intrigued me...
I don't know if I could ever achieve the patience necessary to start one.