Araucariaceae!

[jinian]

I had no idea there was such a thing as the Wollemi Pine, and no one else did either until very recently. So cool! The Araucariaceae include monkey-puzzle trees, Norfolk pines, and very few other things; Wollemia is only the third genus known to be extant.

It's not Homo floresiensis, but it's awfully neat.

Comments

[eub.livejournal.com]

Cool!

Its bark is also distinct even from related species, looking very much like bubbling chocolate.

A fungus found on the leaves of some of the Wollemi Pines in the wild has been found to produce small quantities of a chemical known as Taxol.

I am subscribed to Wollemi Watch.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they'd survive in Denver. Probably as an indoor plant, but I've no room for those.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Indoors would be safest, I guess. They're from a temperate climate, so I think they'll do well in Seattle, but I don't know how much trust to place in that "we think they'll do okay in colder temperatures too" business. Maybe in a few years they'll have a better idea of where they can grow.