Credit: David Foley
Wollemia nobilis
Background and story
The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) is one of the most remarkable botanical discoveries of modern times, a “living fossil” thought extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 in a remote canyon in New South Wales, Australia.
It belongs to the ancient Araucariaceae family, alongside Araucaria and Agathis, and dates back over 90 million years to the time of dinosaurs.
Following its discovery by David Noble, it was rapidly propagated and distributed to botanic gardens and collectors worldwide, including in Ireland and Britain, both to safeguard the species and to reduce pressure on the tiny wild population.
Did you know?
Wollemia nobilis was only discovered in 1994, but its ancestors go back to the age of the dinosaurs, making it one of the most famous “living fossil” trees in cultivation. Its discovery in a remote canyon in Wollemi National Park, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, is often described as one of the great botanical finds of the 20th century.
Hardiness and conservation
The recorded RHS hardiness rating is H4, which means this plant is usually hardy through most typical UK and Irish winter conditions, although exposed or wet sites can still cause losses. Local hardiness always depends on local shelter, drainage, winter wet, salt-laden wind and the plant’s age and establishment.
The IUCN Red List status recorded here is Critically Endangered (CR). This places it in the highest threatened category before extinction in the wild. The assessment year recorded in the plant data is 2024.
Additional notes for Ireland and Britain
In Ireland and Britain, Wollemia nobilis has proved surprisingly adaptable, tolerating light frost and cool, damp conditions better than might be expected for such an ancient species. It grows slowly into a small to medium-sized tree, typically reaching 10–20 metres over time, with distinctive fern-like foliage and unusual, bubbly bark. It performs best in sheltered, well-drained sites, particularly in mild coastal gardens, and can also be grown in containers when young.
In the wild, it is classified as Critically Endangered, with fewer than 100 mature trees known, threatened by disease, fire, and environmental change. In Irish gardens, it carries a unique sense of living history, combining rarity, resilience, and deep evolutionary significance.
Notable features
- The Wollemi pine is often described as a “living fossil” because plants very like it were known from ancient fossil material, and it was thought that this lineage had disappeared millions of years ago before the living population was found. Kew says it was thought to be extinct for two million years before its rediscovery in 1994; Botanic Gardens of Sydney notes that its ancestors may go back around 200 million years.
- The Wollemi pine is not a true pine but is, in fact, a conifer. It belongs to the family Araucariaceae, the same broad family as monkey puzzles and kauri, rather than the true pine family, Pinaceae.
- Fewer than 100 wild trees are generally reported, and their exact location is protected to reduce the risk of damage, illegal collection and, especially, the introduction of pests and diseases.
- The most recent IUCN assessment lists Wollemia nobilis as Critically Endangered, with the wild population restricted to a single population in Wollemi National Park. The 2024 IUCN assessment gives both its extent of occurrence and area of occupancy as only 4 km².
- The catastrophic Australian bushfires of 2019-2020 reached the wild Wollemi pine sites, and the population was saved through intensive conservation action.