
A relic population of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) in a steep-sided canyon northwest of Sydney. Discovery of these large trees (35 m high, 1 m diameter) in August 1994 caused great excitement because this species had been considered extinct for 150 million years. Their continued existence was attributed to a habitat which offered protection from fires common on platueax in that region. "Pine" is something of a misnomer; they are taxonomically closer to species of Aracaria than to true pines (genus Pinus).
Original photograph by Jaine Plaza, an supplied courtesy Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney)