Family: Araucariaceae
Common Name: Wollemi Pine

The discovery of this conifer in Australia in 1994 made international headlines. It was a chance discovery by a field officer of the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Wollemi National Park west of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales. It is a 'living fossil', its nearest relatives being known only from fossil records of the Cretaceous and early Tertiary periods. However, it is related to others of the Araucariaceae family, namely Agathis and Araucaria. With fewer than 40 adult trees known in the wild, it is one of the rarest plants in the world. It has been the focus of intense research since its discovery and is now being propagated and may be available for cultivation within a few years.

Species

W. nobilis, the Wollemi pine, grows to around 30 m (100 ft) in its habitat. It is an ever-green tree with an upright growth habit and unusual, spongy, knobby bark. Foliage is vari­able from the top to the bottom of the tree - from flattened trusses of leaves lower down, to short, rigid leaves in four rows, all directed upwards, higher. Male and female cones are carried separately on the same tree.

Cultivation

Best grown in partial shade, in well-drained soil heavily enriched with humus, this tree should be given plentiful water during the warmer months, but kept much drier during winter. Little information exists about feeding, but slow-release fertilizer should be suitable. It has been propagated in the laboratory by tissue culture and from cuttings. In frost-prone cli­mates, a cool greenhouse would be the best place to grow this conifer.

Climate

Best in areas with cool, moist winters and warm summers.