Agathis robusta
Agathis robusta | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
(unranked): | Gymnosperms |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Pinales |
Family: | Araucariaceae |
Genus: | Agathis |
Species: | A. robusta
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Binomial name | |
Agathis robusta (C.Moore ex F.Muell.) Bailey
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Agathis robusta (syn. A. palmerstonii), the Queensland kauri (pine) or smooth-barked kauri,[1] is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. (Although sometimes called a pine, it is not a true pine, and has leaves, not needles.) 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 locations, a southern population on K'gari 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[]
Foliage
Bark
Harvested in the Eudlo district, Queensland, in 1905
References[]
- ^ a b c Farjon, A. (2013). "Agathis robusta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T16437966A2960124. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T16437966A2960124.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), Flora Malesiana 10: 337-453.
- ^ Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of Agathis. Pl. Syst. Evol. 135: 41-69.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agathis robusta. |
- Agathis robusta. The Gymnosperm Database.
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Agathis
- Flora of Queensland
- Trees of Australia
- Pinales of Australia
- Least concern flora of Australia
- Least concern biota of Queensland