Special Plant is a Living Fossil

By Jos Van Hage

 A plant that is getting a lot of attention because it is one of the  world’s oldest and rarest tree species is the ’Wollemi Pine’.

It was on  the earth during the Jurassic period more than 200 million years ago and  only known in its fossilized form (from 90 million years ago) until 1994. This when it was accidentally discovered just outside of Sidney, Australia in Wollemi National Park, where an officer of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife  discovered an unusual tree and brought in a broken branch to get identified. Since then it was found that there were around  100 Wollemi Pines growing in the area.

The Wollemi Pine is an evergreen conifer that belongs to the Araucariaceae  family, which is the same family that the Norfolk Island Pine belongs to. 

It will grow up to 40 meters tall, with a trunk growing 1 meter in diameter. The dark green leaves are flat and linear, growing 3-8 cm long and 2-5 mm broad. The bark is brown and bubbly. It produces 6-12 cm long  seed cones that are green and mature to brown.

Although it grows outdoors in warmer climates (zone 6 and higher) it also makes an excellent indoor  plant. It does not require a lot of maintenance and it easy to grow. Place  it in area of the home where it will receive high, indirect light. Water  it when the top 5 cm of soil is dry; do not over water. Through careful propagation from seed and cuttings the plant is now available to the public. It was released commercially in 2006 and we were able to obtain a few plants for selling. When you purchase a plant you  will be helping out in the conservation of the Wollemi Pine and other endangered plant species as the royalties from sales goes towards this.

Each plant comes with a certificate of authentication. So, if you are looking for a plant that no one else has yet, take a look at the Wollemi Pine which is described as being a living fossil!

  -Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

• Highwy 16 west at Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North  at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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