Lagarostrobus franklinii

Location & distribution maps

Plant description

Common name:        Huon pine 

Etymology:   

• Lagarostrobos comes from the Greek, lagaros "thin" and strobos "cone"

• The epithet franklinii remembers Sir John Franklin, 1786-1847, arctic explorer and governor of Tasmania from 1836 to 1843

Cones and seed:                         

• 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 six-to-eight 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

Leaves:         

•  The leaves are spirally arranged, very small and scale-like, 1 to 3 mm long, covering the shoots completely

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A conifer that grows to 10 to 20 m tall, exceptionally reaching 30 m, with arching branches and pendulous branchlets

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

•  Native to the wet southwestern corner of Tasmania

• The area of occupancy is estimated to range from 2 500 ha to as much as 10 500 ha 

Additional notes:        

• Age

  •  They are some of the oldest living organisms on the Earth

  • A stand of trees in excess of 10,500 years old was found in 1955 in western Tasmania on Mount Read where 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

  • Individual trees in the clonal patch have been listed as having ages of 2,000 or even to 3,000 years old

• Taxonomy

• It is often known as the Huon pine or Macquarie pine, although it is actually a podocarp, not a true pine (Pinaceae)

• It is the sole species in the genus Lagarostrobos; one other species L. colensoi (endemic to New Zealand) formerly included has been transferred to a new genus Manoao

• The genus was also formerly included in a broader circumscription of the genus Dacrydium

• In molecular phylogenetic analyses Lagorostrobos was found to be related to Parasitaxus (a parasitic and monotypic genus from New Caledonia) and Manoao, but their exact relationships are unresolved

• Use

• The wood is highly prized for its golden yellow colour, fine grain, and natural oils that resist rotting

• The chemical giving the timber its unique smell and preservative qualities is methyl eugenol.

• 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

  • Because of the long life of individual trees, tree rings from Huon Pine have been used for dendrochronology to establish a record of climate variation

• Conservation

  • An estimated 15% of its habitat has been lost through inundation for hydroelectric schemes and to fire over the past 100 years or so

  • Extensive logging in the past has removed nearly all large trees, but there is regrowth nearly everywhere

  • One stand of the species has been made available for access to craft wood from dead and downed timber under a strict licensing system and it is illegal to cut living trees

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagarostrobos (2023)