Wollemia nobilis

The Wollemi Pine, in Latin Wollemia nobilis, is a very rare example of plant resurrection. This large conifer, believed to be extinct forever, was rediscovered alive and well in 1994, in the depths of a small valley located not far from Sydney in Australia. It is such a rare plant - there are only a few dozen adult specimens left - that the exact location of its discovery remains, to this day, a secret. The achievements of plant biotechnology have allowed it to be quickly multiplied, allowing gardeners around the world to try their hand at its cultivation, in order to perpetuate this strange and magnificent organism that is truly endangered. Picture a tall, slender fir tree with a trunk covered in swollen, chocolate-coloured bark, with low branches adorned with fronds of tender green fern, and topped with a tightly cone-shaped crown. Tomorrow, it may flourish in your garden. This dream, within reach of a shovel, could well come true under a mild oceanic climate, in deep, humus-rich or sandy soil with a tendency towards acidity.

Wollemia nobilis belongs to the Araucariaceae family, one of the oldest from a botanical point of view. It now includes the genera Wollemia, Araucaria and Agathis, the last representatives of a group of plants that thrived in the Jurassic period. The nobilis species is the only current representative of the genus. This conifer is native to Wollemi National Park, located in the Blue Mountains region of southeastern Australia, subjected to temperatures ranging from -5 °C (23 °F) in winter to 45 °C (113 °F) in summer. Successful cultivation trials in different regions of the world have confirmed the resistance of this conifer to temperatures as low as -12 °C (10.4 °F).

In its natural environment, confined to a small, narrow valley with greasy, moist soil, the few adult Wollemia nobilis trees reach a height of 35 m (115 ft) and have a generally narrow, pyramidal habit. While it initially grows with a single trunk, it develops several more over time. This ability to regenerate from its stump is an adaptation to forest fires that regularly ravage this Australian region. It can also be found in certain eucalyptus trees or in the Sequoia. The diameter of the main trunk can exceed 1 m (3 ft). Its strange, dark brown bark has many spongy nodules. It peels off in scales that resemble chocolate-coated puffed cereals. The evergreen foliage is dark green, but the young shoots are lighter green. The branches that grow at the base of the trunk bear long, narrow, and flexible leaves arranged in two regular rows. Towards the top of the tree, the leaves and branches take on a different appearance: shorter, stiffer, and wider, arranged in four rows, the needles cover upright branches that are gathered in a conical tuft. This conifer renews its foliage from top to bottom, shedding entire branches that are replaced by dormant buds lower on the trunk. The young shoots are protected throughout the winter by a thick, pink-coloured waxy layer, aptly named "polar cap" by botanists. The female cones, located towards the top, contain globular-shaped seeds and measure 10 cm (4 in) in length, with pointed scales. The male cones, which bear pollen, measure 15 cm (6 in) in length. They appear at a lower level on the tree.

The Wollemi Pine is a true vegetal dinosaur. This botanical curiosity will find its place in a park, on a large plot of land, isolated, at the back of a flower bed, or in a very large container on the terrace. Its good tolerance to pruning allows it to maintain more manageable proportions in a pot or on a smaller-sized plot of land. Like its cousin, the Araucaria, it stands out as eccentric and intrigues enthusiasts of strange plants. Adopt this endangered large conifer: place it at the borders of your estate, where its strange structure will stand out, like a solitary emergence, from a grove of evergreen or deciduous trees. As it is a bit sensitive to cold and dislikes heat and drought, it will thrive on oceanic coasts in temperate climates.