And Oak Older Than Imaginable – 90 million year old tree species found in Australia rain forest – Brief Article
Forget that reality-based TV stuff. Australia has a real “survivor”: A tree species that dates back 90 million years.
Dubbed the Nightcap Oak after its discovery in the Nightcap Range rainforest 400 miles north of Sydney, the “relatively nondescript” tree dates back to the days when Australia was part of a super-continent linked to what is now Antarctica, New Zealand, and South America, Dr. Peter Weston of Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens told Reuters News Service.
Watson identified the species after botanist Robert Kooyman discovered a stand of about 20 mature trees, calling it remarkable that the species could have gone unnoticed in the heavily researched and documented rainforest.
Cuttings were taken for cultivation at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens. The trees’ exact location is being kept under wraps for their protection.
COPYRIGHT 2001 American Forests
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