Agathis robusta

Agathis robusta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Araucariaceae
Genus: Agathis
Species: A. robusta
Binomial name
Agathis robusta
(C.Moore ex F.Muell.) Bailey

Agathis robusta (syn. A. palmerstonii), the Queensland kauri pine or smooth-barked kauri,[1] is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.[1] Populations in Papua New Guinea may be treated as the distinct species Agathis spathulata.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Agathis robusta occurs in two localities, a southern population on Fraser Island and around Maryborough, and a northern population on the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns; the northern population was formerly distinguished as Agathis palmerstonii, but does not differ from the southern population and is no longer considered distinct.[3]

It is a large evergreen tree growing straight and tall to a height of 30–50 m, with smooth, scaly bark. The leaves are 5–12 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, tough and leathery in texture, with no midrib; they are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely whorls of three) on the stem. The seed cones are globose, 8–13 cm diameter, and mature in 18–20 months after pollination; they disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are cylindrical, 5–10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm thick.

Uses

The Queensland kauri was heavily logged in the past, and spectacular trees of prodigious size are much rarer than in pre-European times; despite this, the species as a whole is not endangered.

Gallery

Notes

  1. 1 2 Farjon, A. 2013. Agathis robusta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Downloaded on 11 April 2015.
  2. ↑ de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), Flora Malesiana 10: 337-453.
  3. ↑ Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of Agathis. Pl. Syst. Evol. 135: 41-69.

References

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