| Wollemia | |
|---|---|
| π Image | |
| Young specimen in a botanical garden protected from theft by a steel cage | |
| Scientific classification π Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Araucariaceae |
| Genus: | Wollemia W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill & J.M.Allen |
| Species: | W.nobilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Wollemia nobilis W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill & J.M.Allen, 1995 | |
Wollemia is a genus of coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. It is a "living fossil", recently found in 1994. Its fossil record dates back 200 million years, and it was thought to be long extinct.
Wollemia nobilis was discovered in 1994 in a temperate rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales. in a remote series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges near Lithgow, 150 kilometres north-west of Sydney.
In both botanical and popular literature the tree has been called the Wollemi Pine. It is not a true pine (genus Pinus) nor a member of the pine family (Pinaceae), but is related to Agathis and Araucaria in the family Araucariaceae.[2]
The Wollemi pine is classified as Critically Endangered (CR β D) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List 2002.[3] It is legally protected in Australia. A Recovery Plan has been drawn up, outlining strategies for the management of this fragile population; the overall objective is to ensure that this species remains viable in the long-term.
References
[change | change source]- β Thomas, P. (2011). "Wollemia nobilis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011. IUCN: e.T34926A9898196. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T34926A9898196.en.
- β Fact Sheet: Wollemi Pine
- β IUCN Red List (April, 2003) http://www.redlist.org