A specimen of the Wollemi pine, an Australian conifer and one of the world's oldest tree species, has been donated to Bergianska Garden at Stockholm University in Sweden.
The Wollemi was discovered on September 10, 1994, in an isolated valley in Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, about 150 km northwest of Sydney. It is estimated to be about 200 million years old, from earth's Jurassic Period, so it was around even before the Australian continent was formed.
Wollemi Pine sample
The Wollemi is an extremely rare tree that is in danger of extinction, with fewer than 100 specimens in the wild. To protect the tree, the valley where it grows wild is known to only a few individuals.
Because of its endangered status, a reproductive program was launched. The tree is being cultivated both for botanical gardens and for commercial purposes. The deputy foreign minister of Australia, Greg Hunt, donated the Wollemi in honor of the Linnaeus Tercentenary.