Speaking of conifers...Wollemi Pine

Wollemia nobilis. It has a Metasequoia-type story behind it, having been found in 1994 just 200km from Sydney.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the sites where the tree is being trialed and propagated. They will plant some of their trees in the Climatron and others outside to test hardiness.

The tree was to have been available late 2005 and is to be released world-wide 2006.

Has anybody seen or worked with this tree?

http://www.wollemipine.com/
http://www.mobot.org/events/Assets/05011Wollemipine.pdf

This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 4:08 PM

I am also interested in this tree and wonder if the -6C is its true hardiness. I downloaded their wallpaper and use the Wollemia for my XP background. I have my thoughts that it might be a bit hardier considering where it comes from. I'd certainly like to get my hands on a few of those but I'm sure the price is far out of my reach.

I've seen the two they've got at Kew Gardens. They were under glass when I saw them, but they planted one outside last summer. I've not heard yet if it has survived this winter or not - to be honest, I'll be surprised if it does.

Resin

When the wife and I were in Sydney over the Christmas Holidays, we visited the Sydney Botanical Gardens and had a chance to view a nice sized specimen that was the first cutting of Wollemia nobilis. It was surrounded by a steel cage to protect if from harm/theft. Someone else viewing the tree mentioned that the ones in the wild have since been infected with a fungus.

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

Resin, is there any way to find out if the plants made it through winter at Kew? I'd be very interested. I'm surprised they are trying them at mobot as the climate is far beyond even the Araucaria araucana's distribution. I've contacted the Wollemipine page for additional info on bringing it in to Canada.

It certainly is a shame someone went out of their way to introduce that fungus.

Maybe they introduced the fungus by accident, but still a shame. And I agree with Growin about MoBot too -- pity to waste any of those precious plants in such a climate. Test them in milder areas first, establishing successful ex-situ conservation plantings. Then push the envelope gradually as successes are achieved, failures are noted, and more plants become available.

Guy S.

I'll try and find out if the Kew outdoor tree has survived (and whether or not they gave it any protection), tho' I'd suspect it's a little early to tell just yet. It's also been a fairly mild winter overall here, so maybe not too harsh a test for it.

Resin

Thanks Resin! If it did ok at Kew, it should do just as fine here. I have done some reading more on the Wollemi reserve and all areas receive regular frost and some snow at higher elevations above 1000m. I grow a few other plants from the same region so I'm betting they will have simular requirements to the Araucaria. Cool, humid without extremes of hot or very cold. The fact that they survived in gullies tells me they prefer a constant cool condition and resent exposure. I've talked to my nursery friend and he's interested in importing the plant and hopefully having a small shippment into Canada, that is if we can get through all the red tape. I'm having enough trouble exporting my Araucaria seed.

I appreciate the information and observations. I'll check them out on a trip to MOBot this spring and report back. SB

I suspect the problem for growing the species is cold, dry continental winter winds from (for here) Siberia or (for you) arctic Canada. I can't see it being able to tolerate a -5°C low humidity desiccating wind blowing for 3 or 4 days

Resin

I have been asked to add my thoughts to this discussion. I have also been taking a great interest in the Wollemi Pine, ever since it was first discovered. I have in fact ordered a plant which is due to be delivered to me in late March.
You are describing conditions for growing it far more extreme than any encountered anywhere in Australia, so I think it is too early to know what the real limits are.
The people from whom I am buying the plant http://www.gardenexpress.com.au/
say in their catalogue

I found this reference http://threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10840 and it states warm temperate rainforest. I'd imagine -5C would be the extreme in this location.

Ken, from your experience in that area what would you put the max-min temps and/or climate zone at?

Thanks

ps. Good luck with your new treasure and don't let it walk away!

Where I live i think the minimum we get wouild be about -2ºC and that only very occasionally. Some parts of Tasmania, like Hobart would reach -5ºC. I would suspect thatwhere they grow naturally the temperature never drops below zero.
We have cool temperate rainforest in this area (in small pockets), the warm temperate rainforest starts further east and north.

Ken

I am now the proud possessor of a young Wollemi Pine, which arrived in the mail today. It stands about 1 metre tall (pot included). An interesting comment on growing them is that anywhere that a Norfolk Island Pine will grow, the Wollemi Pine will grow.
Here is a picture of the plant immediately after unpacking:

and here is a close-up of the crown of the tree:

That is one neat looking Wollemi pine! It looks nice & healthy considering you received it in the post. Congratulations! I wouldn't mind hearing how it does.

Growin, Can a NIP handle your 8b?

Ken, we hear on the news that you folks are having some SERIOUS weather down under today -- you OK?

Guy S.

kandlmidd, a NIP can sometimes handle our 8b if protected. Sometimes we get a nasty cold-snap mixed with dry air and it will dessicate the foliage or kill it.

I just spoke to my friend who has his son near Cairns, apparently the cyclone missed his area but lots of water damage and 100km winds.

The SERIOUS weather is a long way from here, up in Queensland, where the banana harvest has apparently been badly damaged. Down here the weather is perfect early Autumn weather, sunny and warm without being too hot. I am heading off for a walk in the Victorian Alps on Mt St Gwinnear today with reasonable confidence of fine weather.