Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Wollemi Pine
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Come Visit a Rare "Living Fossil"
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is excited to announce the addition of a Wollemi pine to have a Wollemi pine in its plant collection in the Warm Temperate Pavilion of the Steinhardt Conservatory. This "living fossil" is one of just a handful of Wollemi pine specimens on public display around the world.
The Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to the plant family Araucariaceae, which dates back to the Jurassic period, more than 200 million years ago. Paleobotanists speculate that Wollemi pines dominated the Southern Hemisphere when Australia was connected to the large ancient continent of Gondwana. The pine's leaves were most likely a food source for dinosaurs.
The pine was known solely from fossil records and presumed extinct until it was discovered in 1994 in the Wollemi National Park, just outside Sydney, Australia. Dubbed the botanical find of the century, the Wollemi pine is now the focus of extensive research to conserve this ancient species.
Fewer than 100 mature trees are known exist, growing in small groves on moist ledges in a deep rainforest gorge surrounded by rugged mountains and undisturbed forest. The exact locations of the groves are a closely kept secret because of the pristine and fragile nature of the wild habitat. Only a small number of researchers are permitted to visit the Wollemi in the wild.
Propagation from these original specimens has allowed research and conservation efforts, including private sales. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Shop is selling a limited number of this rare tree. Royalties from sales will support conservation of the Wollemi pine and other rare and endangered plant species. For more information on purchasing a Wollemi pine from BBG, call 718-623-7280.
More Information
Read "Wollemi Pine and 'Olulu Palm—Two Endangered Plants That Need Your Help" from Plants & Gardens News (Volume 20, Number 3, Fall 2005/Winter 2006)
Learn more about the Wollemi Pine from the The Wollemi Pine Conservation Club.
Photographs © J. Plaza RBG Sydney