Some morphological features of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis: Araucariaceae) and their comparison to Cretaceous plant fossils

Abstract

Morphological details of Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi pine) are described and illustrated, and compared with the extant genera Agathis and Araucaria and with selected araucarian fossils from the Cretaceous of Australia. Adult and juvenile shoots of Wollemia differ in leaf arrangement, leaf shape, and cuticular features; in these features they are most similar to Araucaria. The cone scales have a long, distal spine reminiscent of Araucaria section Eutacta, but the winged seeds that are ontogenetically free from, and shed independently from, the cone scale are similar to Agathis. Shoots with variable leaf types, Araucaria-like cone scales, and Agathis-like winged seeds are found in several plant ..