Wollemia

Taxobox
name = "Wollemia"
fossil_range= Mid-Cretaceous; recent
status = CR
status_system = iucn2.3


image_width = 240px
image_caption = Young specimen in a botanical garden protected from theft by a steel cage
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Pinophyta
classis = Pinopsida
ordo = Pinales
familia = Araucariaceae
genus = "Wollemia"
species = "W. nobilis"
binomial = "Wollemia nobilis"
binomial_authority = W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill & J.M.Allen

"Wollemia" is a genus of coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. The Australian species "Wollemia nobilis" is the sole species in the genus "Wollemia" and was discovered in 1994 in a remote series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges near Lithgow in temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, 150 kilometres north-west of Sydney.

In both the botanical and popular literature, the tree has been almost universally dubbed the Wollemi Pine, although it is not a true pine (genus "Pinus") nor a member of the pine family (Pinaceae), but rather is related to Kauri and Araucaria in the family Araucariaceae. The oldest fossil of the Wollemi tree has been dated to 200 million years ago. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1471653.htm Fact Sheet: Wollemi Pine] ]

Description

"Wollemia nobilis" is an evergreen tree reaching 25–40 m (80-112 feet) tall. The bark is very distinctive, dark brown and knobbly, quoted as resembling Coco Pops breakfast cereal.James Woodford, "The Wollemi Pine: The incredible discovery of a living fossil from the age of the dinosaurs", (Revised Edition), The Text Publishing Company, 2002, ISBN 1-876485-74-4] The tree coppices readily, and most specimens are multi-trunked or appear as clumps of trunks thought to derive from old coppice growth. The branching is unique in that nearly all the side branches never have further branching. After a few years, each branch either terminates in a cone (either male or female) or ceases growth. After this, or when the cone becomes mature, the branch dies. New branches then arise from dormant buds on the main trunk. Rarely, a side branch will turn erect and develop into a secondary trunk, which then bears a new set of side branches.

The leaves are flat linear, 3–8 cm long and 2–5 mm broad. They are arranged spirally on the shoot but twisted at the base to appear in two or four flattened ranks. The seed cones are green, 6–12 cm long and 5–10 cm in diameter, and mature about 18–20 months after pollination. They disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are slender conic, 5–11 cm long and 1–2 cm broad.

Discovery

The discovery, on or about 10 September 1994, by David Noble, a field officer of the Wollemi National Park in Wentworth Falls, in the Blue Mountains, only occurred because of his adventurous bushwalking and rock climbing abilities. Noble had good botanical knowledge, and quickly recognised the trees as unusual and worthy of further investigation. Returning with specimens, and expecting someone to be able to identify the plants, Noble soon found that they were new to science. [cite web
title =The Wollemi Pine — a very rare discovery
publisher =Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
date =
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20050323093506/http://www.rbgsyd.gov.au/information_about_plants/wollemi_pine
accessdate =2007-02-08 ] Further study would be needed to establish its relationship to other conifers. The initial suspicion was that it had certain characteristics of the 200-million-year-old family Araucariaceae, but was not similar to any living species in the family. Comparison with living and fossilised Araucariaceae proved that it was a member of that family, and it has been placed into a new genus with the other extant genera "Agathis" and "Araucaria". Fossils resembling "Wollemia" and possibly related to it are widespread in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, but "Wollemia nobilis" is the sole living member of its genus. The last known fossils of the genus date from approximately 2 million years ago. [cite web
title =Wollemi Pine research — Age & Ancestry
publisher =Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
date =
url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050323160650/www.rbgsyd.gov.au/information_about_plants/wollemi_pine/age_and_ancestry
accessdate =2007-03-01 ] It is thus described as a living fossil, or alternatively, a Lazarus taxon.

Fewer than a hundred trees are known to be growing wild, in three localities not far apart. It is very difficult to count them as most trees are multistemmed and may have a connected root system. Genetic testing has revealed that all the specimens are genetically indistinguishable, suggesting that the species has been through a genetic bottleneck in which its population became so low (possibly just one or two individuals) that all genetic variability was lost.

In November 2005, wild-growing trees were found to be infected with "Phytophthora cinnamomi". New South Wales park rangers believe the virulent water mould was introduced by unauthorised visitors to the site, whose location is still undisclosed to the public.

Cultivation and uses

A propagation programme has culminated with the Wollemi Pine available to botanical gardens first, then commercially available in Australia from 1 April 2006. It was released commercially in Western Europe in June 2006 and in the United States in December 2006. It was to be commercially released in other countries during 2006. It may prove to be a valuable tree for ornament, either planted in open ground or for tubs and planters. It is also proving to be more adaptable and cold-hardy than its restricted subtropical distribution would suggest, tolerating temperatures between -5°C and 45°C (23° and 113°F), with reports that it can survive down to -12°C (10°F). It also handles both full sun and full shade. Like many other Australian trees, "Wollemia" is susceptible to the pathogenic water mould "Phytophthora cinnamomi", so this may limit its potential as a timber tree. [cite web
title =Wollemi Pine research — fungal associations & pathogens
publisher =Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
date =
url=http://web.archive.org/web/20050501202059/www.rbgsyd.gov.au/information_about_plants/wollemi_pine/research_projects?p=424
accessdate =2007-02-08 ]

Notes

References and external links

* Listed as Critically Endangered (CR D v2.3)
*cite web
title =The Wollemi Pine — a very rare discovery
publisher =Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
date =
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20050323093506/http://www.rbgsyd.gov.au/information_about_plants/wollemi_pine
accessdate =2007-02-08 (includes facts and figures, ecology, biology)
* [http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/plants/wollemipine.html Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew's web page about the "Wollemi Pine"]
* [http://wollemipine.com/ WollemiPine.com]
* [http://www.conifers.org/ar/wo/index.html Wollemia nobilis] at the Gymnosperm Database
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4531805.stm BBC News item] 10 May 2005
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6201616.stm BBC News - 'Dinosaur trees' heavily guarded] - 02/12/06
* [http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1471653.htm ABC-TV Gardening Fact Sheet]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1371627.htm ABC-TV Science visits Wollemi Pines in the wild] 19 May 2005
* [http://nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/PDFs/_Recovery_Plan_Wollemi_Pine.pdf Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi Pine) Recovery Plan] , January 2007
*cite news | first=Matthew | last=Warren | coauthors= | title=Biologist takes axe to the 'myth' of Wollemi | date=16 April 2007 | publisher= | url =http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21554218-2702,00.html | work =The Australian | pages = | accessdate = 2007-12-11 | language =
* [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2007/1902727.htm The Wollemi Pine] Transcript of interview on "The Science Show" (April 2007) with Tim Entwistle, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
* [http://users.telenet.be/sequoiadendron/en/westonbirt.html#wollemia Images and information about the Wollemi Pine in Westonbirt Arboretum]
* [http://press.nationalgeographic.com/pressroom/index.jsp?pageID=pressReleases_detail&siteID=1&cid=1158671506350 WOLLEMI PINE AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME IN NORTH AMERICA] from National Geographic.