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zabliminal OP t1_jaapei3 wrote

Reply to comment by thedarkonespr0npicks in A leaf that I took from a pine tree in 2017. Still hasn't decayed. by zabliminal

I'm just fascinated how it still looks the way it was when I first took it home. We don't have any of these kind of trees in our area. Mostly the leaves that I see decays after a few days.

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thedarkonespr0npicks t1_jaas7t6 wrote

Pine resin was also one of the ingredients used in the embalming process in Egypt due to its natural antimicrobial properties, so pine needles are naturally quite microbe resistant. IIRC, If you keep pine needles cool while drying, the chlorophyll can remain stable in which case the needles will stay green for an incredible amount of time.

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zabliminal OP t1_jaaucoi wrote

Oooh wow will they last decades? I'll keep mine for as long as I can

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thedarkonespr0npicks t1_jaav073 wrote

They appear to quite dry (not necessarily a good thing), so your biggest enemy is handling/moving them. The less they move, the longer they will last.

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