Family: Araucariaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine) is an ancient conifer native to a small, remote area of central-eastern New South Wales, Australia, where it survives naturally in a few secluded sandstone canyons. Often described as a “living fossil,” this remarkable tree belongs to a lineage that dates back more than 90 million years and was only discovered by scientists in 1994. It is an evergreen tree with distinctive dark, knobby bark resembling bubbling chocolate, soft flattened needles arranged in two rows along the branches, and both male and female cones produced on the same tree. Because of its extraordinary history and attractive appearance, the Wollemi pine is highly valued as a specimen tree in botanical gardens, arboreta, and private landscapes. It is also an important conservation species, with cultivated plants helping reduce pressure on the tiny wild population.

Risks & Threats
The Wollemi pine is considered a low-risk species for Hawaiʻi. It has no history of becoming invasive and reproduces slowly, with limited natural spread outside cultivation. Its specialized habitat requirements and relatively slow growth further reduce the likelihood of it establishing self-sustaining wild populations. While continued observation is appropriate whenever new ornamental species are introduced, there is currently no evidence that Wollemia nobilis poses a significant threat to Hawaiʻi’s native ecosystems or agricultural lands. Instead, its greatest conservation concern is protecting its highly restricted wild population in Australia from threats such as disease, wildfire, and climate change.

High Risk Traits:

• Grows in temperate to subtropical climates
  
• Potentially allelopathic
  
• May be a host of and susceptible to several fungal pathogens
  
• Shade-tolerant
  
• Reproduces by seeds and potentially by root suckering
  
• Reported to be self-compatible
  
• Seeds dispersed by wind, water and intentionally by people
  
• Coppices frequently

Low Risk Traits:

• No reports of invasiveness or naturalization, but limited evidence of widespread introduction outside native range
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns or burrs)
  
• Non-toxic
  
• Slow-growing; reaches reproductive maturity in 5+ years