Lagarostrobos franklinii
Encyclopedia
The species Lagarostrobos franklinii is a species of conifer
native to the wet southwestern corner of Tasmania
, Australia
; it is the sole species in Lagarostrobos; one other species L. colensoi formerly included has been transferred to a new genus Manoao
. The genus was also formerly included in a broader circumscription of the genus Dacrydium
.
Lagarostrobos franklinii is often known as the Huon pine or Macquarie pine, although it is actually a podocarp
(Podocarpaceae) not a true pine
(Pinaceae).
It is a slow growing, but long-lived tree
; some living specimens of this tree are in excess of 2000 years in age. It grows to 10 to 20 m tall, exceptionally reaching 30 m, with arching branches and pendulous branchlets. The leaves
are spirally arranged, very small and scale-like, 1 to 3 mm long, covering the shoots completely. It is dioecious
, with male (pollen
) and female (seed
) cones
on separate plants. The male cones are yellow, 5 to 8 mm long and 1 to 2 mm broad. The mature seed cones are highly modified, berry
-like, with 5 to 10 lax, open scales which mature in 6–8 months, with one seed 2 to 2.5 mm long on each scale. Unlike the closely related New Zealand
genus Manoao
, the scales do not become fleshy and are water
-dispersed, not bird
-dispersed (Molloy 1995).
A stand of trees reputed to be in excess of 10,500 years in age was recently found in Western Tasmania on Mount Read
. Each of the trees in this stand is a genetically identical male that has reproduced vegetatively
. Although no single tree in this stand is of that age, the stand itself as a single organism has existed that long.
The wood
was highly prized for its golden yellow colour, fine grain and natural oils that resisted rotting. The chemical that gives the timber its unique smell and preservative qualities is methyl eugenol
. Heavy logging
of the trees for its timber coupled with the trees' slow growth has led to remaining stands being less than 105 square kilometres (26,000 acre
s).
The remaining stands of this species of tree now have protected status within the Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage Site
.
It has been planted in the grounds of Crathes Castle
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
and has done well. Two healthy specimens can also be found at Torosay Castle
, Isle of Mull
.
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
native to the wet southwestern corner of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; it is the sole species in Lagarostrobos; one other species L. colensoi formerly included has been transferred to a new genus Manoao
Manoao
Manoao is a genus of conifers belonging to the Podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. The genus contains a single species, M. colensoi, which is endemic to New Zealand, where it is known by its Māori name, Manoao, or as silver pine, Westland pine, or white silver pine...
. The genus was also formerly included in a broader circumscription of the genus Dacrydium
Dacrydium
Dacrydium is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. Sixteen species of evergreen dioecious trees and shrubs are presently recognized. The genus was first described by Solander in 1786, and formerly included many more species, which were divided into sections A, B, and C...
.
Lagarostrobos franklinii is often known as the Huon pine or Macquarie pine, although it is actually a podocarp
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....
(Podocarpaceae) not a true pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
(Pinaceae).
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
; some living specimens of this tree are in excess of 2000 years in age. It grows to 10 to 20 m tall, exceptionally reaching 30 m, with arching branches and pendulous branchlets. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are spirally arranged, very small and scale-like, 1 to 3 mm long, covering the shoots completely. It is dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with male (pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
) and female (seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
) cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
on separate plants. The male cones are yellow, 5 to 8 mm long and 1 to 2 mm broad. The mature seed cones are highly modified, berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
-like, with 5 to 10 lax, open scales which mature in 6–8 months, with one seed 2 to 2.5 mm long on each scale. Unlike the closely related New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
genus Manoao
Manoao
Manoao is a genus of conifers belonging to the Podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. The genus contains a single species, M. colensoi, which is endemic to New Zealand, where it is known by its Māori name, Manoao, or as silver pine, Westland pine, or white silver pine...
, the scales do not become fleshy and are water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
-dispersed, not bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
-dispersed (Molloy 1995).
A stand of trees reputed to be in excess of 10,500 years in age was recently found in Western Tasmania on Mount Read
Mount Read (Tasmania)
Mount Read is a mountain in Tasmania, Australia, that is at the north west edge of what is known as the West Coast RangeAs colourful a history as that of Mount Lyell, Mount Read has had mines, settlements and other activities on its slopes for over a hundred years.The main copper and gold ore...
. Each of the trees in this stand is a genetically identical male that has reproduced vegetatively
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
. Although no single tree in this stand is of that age, the stand itself as a single organism has existed that long.
The wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
was highly prized for its golden yellow colour, fine grain and natural oils that resisted rotting. The chemical that gives the timber its unique smell and preservative qualities is methyl eugenol
Methyl eugenol
Methyl eugenol is a phenylpropene, a type of phenylpropanoid compound, the methyl ether of eugenol. It is found in various essential oils....
. Heavy logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
of the trees for its timber coupled with the trees' slow growth has led to remaining stands being less than 105 square kilometres (26,000 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s).
The remaining stands of this species of tree now have protected status within the Tasmanian Wilderness
Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness is a term that is used for a range of areas in Tasmania, Australia.The World Heritage Areas in South West, Western and Central are the most well known. However, there are also other areas in Tasmania that have the elements of being known as wilderness areas, the Tarkine...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
It has been planted in the grounds of Crathes Castle
Crathes Castle
Crathes Castle is a 16th century castle near Banchory in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for almost 400 years...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and has done well. Two healthy specimens can also be found at Torosay Castle
Torosay castle
Torosay Castle is a large house situated 1½ miles south of Craignure on the Isle of Mull, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.It was designed by architect David Bryce for John Campbell of Possil in the Scottish Baronial style, and completed in 1858...
, Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
.