Bunya Pine

About

A massive Gondwanan conifer endemic to Australia, mostly southeast Queensland with two small disjunct populations in the Wet Tropics further north. Grows to 50m with an unmistakable egg-shaped silhouette. Kondalilla National Park holds the most easterly stand of bunya pines in Australia.

How to spot it

Small, rigid, sharply pointed leaves that can pierce skin. Regularly whorled, horizontal branches giving a distinctive dome/egg-shaped crown. Female cones are huge — up to 30cm long and 20cm wide, weighing up to 10kg — a serious hazard when they drop.

Found in

• Kondalilla NP