Trees stand next to each other. At first glance, everyone seems to be an independent tree. In Utah, a set of aspens nicknamed Pando has attracted attention by common characters suggesting a clonal origin: many stems from the same genetic individual.
To verify this idea, researchers are analyzing genetic markers on samples of 209 stems. Their study published in 2008 finds the same genetic entity in the area already spotted by its appearance. Its extent is estimated at about forty-four hectares. The visible landscape therefore does not simply correspond to as many genetic individuals as it contains trunks.
The survey also found other genotypes nearby. This result avoids a too convenient conclusion: anything that looks like Pando around Pando is not necessarily part of it. A walk gives the impression of a forest; the analyses make it possible to draw another map, made of relatives and limits that the eye alone does not surely distinguish.
What we know
The extent of a clone does not directly give its age, nor that of each trunk.
To go to the source
References consulted on September 21, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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