Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Wollemi Pine
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Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis): A "Living Fossil"
If someone told you she went for a walk in the woods and discovered a dinosaur, you would think she was pulling your leg. But in a botanical sense, that is what Australian national parks officer David Noble did back in 1994, when he discovered the Wollemi pine, a tree previously known only from fossils of the Cretaceous period (at least 110 million years ago)—a time when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.
Aerial view of Wollemi Pines in Wild (Photograph © J.Plaza RBG Sydney)
Presumed Extinct
Noble stumbled across the tree in a remote rainforest gorge in Wollemi National Park, approximately 100 miles west of Sydney. Originally thought to be extinct, the species (Wollemia nobilis) was officially described in the scientific literature in 1995. It was named after the park where it was discovered and the intrepid bushwalker who found it. "Wollemi" is an Aboriginal word meaning "look around you."
Though not a true member of the pine family (Pinaceae), the Wollemi pine is a conifer (gymnosperm), and so—like pines—it does not produce flowers, and it bears its seeds in cones. In the wild, the tree can grow up to 130 feet tall. It produces drooping, needlelike green leaves that darken in color as they mature. One of the Wollemi pine's most distinctive features is its bark, which looks like bubbling chocolate or swarming bees.
Preserving a Rare Treasure
Currently, there are fewer than 100 trees known in the wild. To conserve this extremely rare species, measures are being taken to protect its native habitat and keep its locations secret. Another component of the conservation strategy—and one we can all partake in—is growing the Wollemi pine in our homes, gardens, and parks.