The Wollemi Pine was considered extinct for a long time. Yet in the middle of the 1990s some specimens were discovered in Australia. This tree populated the earth at the time of the dinosaurs. 200 million years ago, the super continent Gondwanaland covered Australia, India, Africa, Madagascar, Antarctica und South America with a continuous landmass. Then the landmasses drifted apart and the plant societies changed.
These original plant societies of this super continent were planted again in the park of Mark’s Hall in the county of Essex. When I visited the park in the summer of 2011, these pines left a lasting impression on me. In the meantime, this tree of primeval times is being produced and traded once more, but it needs space: the Wollemi-pine grows up to 40 m tall and has very decorative cones and needles. Its trunk reaches a circumference of up to 3 m.
Katharina von Ehren