Two 10 month old pine seedlings, each about 9cm high, were delivered to the US Botanic Garden by tree grower David Milarch and his son. These seedlings were raised from seed of a 4,768 year old, 55ft tall Bristlecone pine tree (one of the species from Pinus longaeva, P. aristata or P. balfouriana) named 'Methuselah', after a man in the Bible, Genesis 5 -who live to 969 years old. The seedlings contain half of the tree's genetic materials. When the seedlings are about 3 years old (about the height of a pencil), the Milarchs plan to graft them with more genetic material taken from Methuselah, at which point, whatever new shoots grow will be considered exact clones of the ancient pine. The Milarchs and other researchers want to figure out what helps champion trees live so long, and whether cloned trees can survive in different climates. The seedlings will remain in the Botanic Garden until they are stong enough to plant out. Bristlecone pines normally grow in the arid mountains of the Great Basin, from Colorado to California, enduring extreme hardships and silently adjusting to their environment. "FlowerTech" www.hortiworld.nl