Huon Pine
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Family Podocarpaceae
Ancient conifer — individuals exceed 2,000 years old
About
One of the world's longest-lived trees: individual Huon pines exceed 2,000 years old, and a genetically identical clonal stand on Mount Read has been dated at over 10,500 years. Convict work parties felled huge Huon pines on the banks of the Lower Gordon River in the 19th century.
How to spot it
A slow-growing conifer with arching branches, pendulous branchlets and tiny scale-like leaves 1-3mm long. Typically 10-20m tall. Found beside slow, dark rivers in the wet south-west, historically prized by boat-builders for its fine, oily, rot-resistant timber.
Found in
- Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
- Southwest National Park
Photo: JJ Harrison (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons