Agathis robusta

Agathis robusta (syn. A. palmerstonii), the Queensland kauri pine or smooth-barked kauri,[1] is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.[1] Populations in Papua New Guinea may be treated as the distinct species Agathis spathulata.[2]

Agathis robusta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Pinales
Family: Araucariaceae
Genus: Agathis
Species:
A. robusta
Binomial name
Agathis robusta
(C.Moore ex F.Muell.) Bailey

Distribution and habitat

Agathis robusta occurs in two locations, a southern population on Fraser Island and around Maryborough, and a northern population on the Atherton Tableland west of Cairns; the northern population was formerly distinguished as Agathis palmerstonii, but does not differ from the southern population and is no longer considered distinct.[3]

It is a large evergreen tree growing straight and tall to a height of 30–50 m, with smooth, scaly bark. The leaves are 5–12 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, tough and leathery in texture, with no midrib; they are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely whorls of three) on the stem. The seed cones are globose, 8–13 cm diameter, and mature in 18–20 months after pollination; they disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are cylindrical, 5–10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm thick.

Uses

The Queensland kauri was heavily logged in the past, and spectacular trees of prodigious size are much rarer than in pre-European times; despite this, the species as a whole is not endangered.

  • Foliage
  • Bark
  • Harvested in the Eudlo district, Queensland, in 1905

References
  1. Farjon, A. 2013. Agathis robusta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Downloaded on 11 April 2015.
  2. de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), Flora Malesiana 10: 337-453.
  3. Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of Agathis. Pl. Syst. Evol. 135: 41-69.
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