Every year, hundreds of new plant species are described as new
to science. Most are of interest only to specialists and have no commercial
significance.
The discovery of the Wollemi pine in Australia in 1995 was a
sensation. The genus Wollemia was
formally described a year later with W.
nobilis as its only species. The tree is so different from all other known
conifers that it did not sit comfortably in any existing genus and so needed a
new one to be created.
It belongs to an ancient family of conifers called Araucariaceae
which previously comprised only two genera. There is Araucaria, famous for the species A. araucana that is
commonly known as the ‘Monkey Puzzle’ and is frequently planted in British
gardens. The other is Agathis, a massive tree from New Zealand. Trees of the
Araucariaceae were much more widespread in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods,
sharing their environment with dinosaurs, but are now restricted to the
southern hemisphere. There are fossil records of Wollemia dating back more than 100 million years.
It is truly amazing that a tree that can grow to 40 metres tall should
have escaped detection until 1995. The reason is that only a small relict
population, comprising less than 100 trees, survived in a few canyons in the Blue
Mountains near Sydney, Australia. The difficulty of access to the habitat
accounts for its late discovery.
Since Wollemia was
discovered, there has been an effective programme of propagation to make the
plant available to cultivators around the world and it is now planted in many
botanical gardens. It is also available to gardeners, its unique appearance and
remarkable story make it a real ‘talking point’. The limited experience of its
cultivation suggests that it is tolerant of most well-drained soils and hardy
down to -15°C.
Even young specimens in containers are capable of producing
cones, both male and female on the same tree. These add to the appeal and help
to make Wollemia a suitable candidate
for a large pot which can be given some protection in winter by being placed in
a glasshouse or conservatory. Container grown plants are available for sale and
these can be purchased and placed in a large pot or outside at any time of
year. Soil preparation is important so incorporating organic matter and, on
heavy soils, some grit will help the tree to establish.
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