Wollemia

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Wollemia
Young Wollemie in Kew Gardens near London

Young Wollemie in Kew Gardens near London

Systematics
Subdivision : Seed plants (Spermatophytina)
Class : Coniferopsida
Order : Conifers (Coniferales)
Family : Araucarias (Araucariaceae)
Genre : Wollemia
Type : Wollemia
Scientific name of the  genus
Wollemia
WGJones, KDHill & JMAllen
Scientific name of the  species
Wollemia nobilis
WGJones , KDHill & JMAllen

The Wollemia ( Wollemia nobilis ) is an only in 1994 in Australia discovered plant species , it is the only type of monotypic genus Wollemia from the family of Araucariaceae (Araucariaceae). It was previously only known from fossils that were millions of years old and was therefore considered extinct. The specific epithet nobilis was chosen in honor of its discoverer David Noble .

distribution

The oldest known fossils of Agathis jurassica , which is very similar to wollemia, are dated to about 90 million years; until 40 million years ago these trees were widespread in Australia and have since been considered extinct. In September 1994, however, 23 trees and some young plants were discovered by David Noble about 250 km west of the Australian city ​​of Sydney in the Wollemi National Park . They were hidden in the remote and inaccessible canyons of the Blue Mountains . In this protected environment, wool chemistry has survived as a living fossil to this day. It is considered a very threatened plant species and at the moment only reproduces clonally. After genetic analyzes of the Australian specimens, it was found that all previously known Wollemien have almost identical genetic makeup , so it is assumed that the population has since shrunk to one or two specimens. There are currently three known populations with a total of only about 100 trees. DNA samples were taken as a precaution .

It is feared that the root rot pathogen Phytophthora cinnamoni , which originated in Southeast Asia and was introduced to Australia , which has already attacked two wollemias at the natural site (as of October 2010), could wipe out the entire population. In order to prevent further introduction by tourists, for example, the exact locations of the trees are kept secret until today.

The stock was also threatened by the 2019/2020 bush fires in Australia . However, the fire brigade managed to save the world's only known natural woolen population as far as possible by using helicopters and ground forces. According to preliminary information, two trees burned and several others were charred, but the stock itself could be preserved.

discovery

On September 10, 1994, David Noble , Michael Casteleyn and Tony Zimmerman, members of the Wollemi National Park administration, saw the plant for the first time. Branches brought along led to another excursion. On October 15, further samples (bark, a male cone and green) were collected together with Wyn Jones , also a member of the national park administration. Finally, on October 21, a female cone was plucked from the crown by Wyn Jones using a helicopter because a determination was still not possible. It was finally clear on November 21st that it was a hitherto undiscovered, living fossil from the araucaria family. The plant was named Wollemia nobilis in honor of its discoverer . The discovery of this "living fossil population" reflects the importance of national parks and wilderness areas for the conservation of biodiversity.

description

Branch of a Wollemia ( Wollemia nobilis )
Shoot tip of a Wollemia ( Wollemia nobilis ) with the typical resin cover ( English : Polar Cap )

The evergreen tree grows up to 40 meters high. Wollemia is single sexed ( monoecious ). Male and female cones grow on the same tree, with a cone always at the end of a side branch. After the seeds ripen, not only the cones but the whole branch are shed.

The uppermost tip of the central drive of the plant is / protected covered during the growth pause of a resin cap (as Engl. ) Polar Cap ( "polar icecap") is referred to.

Furthermore, the Wollemia reproduces vegetatively . At the base of the trunk, buds sprout and grow into a new tree.

marketing

Wollemien at the IPM trade fair in Essen 2007
Wollemia ( Wollemia nobilis ) in the Berlin Botanical Garden .

In the early years after the species was discovered, specimens were very rare in culture, and it was a distinct peculiarity for a botanical garden to plant a specimen of Wollemie. For example, the Palmengarten in Frankfurt am Main has had a copy since June 22, 2005. The Botanical Garden of the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf received two copies as a gift for the opening of the greenhouse.

This changed in October 2005 when 292 offshoots were auctioned off at Sotheby’s in Sydney . The auction of the plants raised $ 1.5 million. Since May 16, 2006 copies have also been available in European specialist shops. In Dortmund , for the 50th anniversary of the plant showhouses in Rombergpark, a forest made of 35 specimens of Wollemie was planted.

literature

  • James Woodford: The Wollemi pine: the incredible discovery of a living fossil from the age of the dinosaurs . Text Publishing, Melbourne 2000, ISBN 1-876485-48-5 .
  • Colin Tudge : The secret life of trees . Penguin books, London 2006, ISBN 978-0-14-101293-3 .

Web links

Commons : Wollemie ( Wollemia nobilis )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b W. G. Jones, KD Hill & JM Allen: Wollemia nobilis, a new living Australian genus and species in the Araucariaceae . In: Telopea 6 , pp. 173-176 (1995), ISSN  0312-9764 .
  2. ↑ Patricia M. Hogbin, Rod Peakall & Marita A. Sydes: Achieving practical outcomes from genetic studies of rare Australian plants . In: Australien Journal of Botany 48 , pp. 375-382 (2000), ISSN  0067-1924 .
  3. ↑ Maik Veste: Species protection for the Wollemi pine . In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau 59 (12), pp. 677-678 (2006), ISSN  0028-1050 .
  4. ↑ Deutschlandfunk Research Current: Die Wollemie , October 11, 2010
  5. ↑ The prehistoric trees survived the dinosaurs - and also the great fire . In: Die Welt , January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  6. ↑ JCG Banks: Wollemi pine: tree find of the 20th century. In: John Dargavel, Denise Gaughwin & Brenda Libbis (ed.): Australia's ever-changing forests V: Proceedings of the Fifth National Conference on Australian Forest History. Center for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES), Australian National University , 2002, pp. 85-89. ( PDF; 17.7 MB ( memento from September 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive )).
  7. ↑ Renate Hücking: The dream of all plant hunters . In: Food for thought 2012 , Piper Munich (2011), ISBN 978-3-492-26476-1
  8. ^ Murray W. Nabors: Botany. Pearson Studium, ISBN 978-3-8273-7231-4 , p. 565.
  9. ↑ KD Hill: Architecture of the Wollemi Pine ( Wollemia nobilis , Araucariadeae), a Unique Combination of Model and Reiteration . In: Australian Journal of Botany 45 , pp. 817-826 (1997), ISSN  0067-1924 .
  10. ↑ Ruhr-Nachrichten: Rombergpark: “Primeval” forest grows in the plant houses