Wollemia nobilis

Wollemia nobilis

Wollemi pine

Planted in 2012

Source:  Russell Nursery

When you look at the Wollemia nobilis in the Park, imagine a forest of them towering 25–40 m (82–131 ft) high with dinosaurs roaming nearby. This plant is a rare survivor from the Jurassic period, only recently discovered still living. 

In 1994, while exploring new canyons in Wollemi National Park in Australia, a few unusual trees were found by David Noble, Michael Casteleyn and Tony Zimmerman. Noble brought samples to his colleagues at the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.  Despite its common name, it is not a true pine. They declared it a new genus in the family Araucariaceae, a very ancient family of coniferous trees. The exact location of the wild population is a closely guarded secret to protect the few plants that remain.