CU Boulder greenhouse acquires rare ‘dinosaur tree’ that dates back 91 million years

The University of Colorado Boulder has acquired a rare Wollemi pine tree a tree species that lived alongside dinosaurs and was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in Australia in CU Boulder alumni Judy and Rod McKeever reached out to the university s greenhouse seeking to donate their beloved Wollemi tree named Wally after it outgrew their Boulder home My first reaction was like you don t have that CU Boulder Greenhouse Manager Malinda Barberio declared chuckling And then I realized that Judy was totally right And then I was really excited because I knew we didn t have one The Wollemi pine is a critically endangered Australian tree species and it s one of the oldest and rarest trees in the world according to the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Operation in Australia Only adult trees and juveniles remain in the wild according to NPWS and the pine belongs to a -million-year-old plant family The tree is sometimes referred to as a living fossil or dinosaur tree because fossil evidence of the species dates back million years Wollemi trees were thought to have gone extinct around million years ago until a small grove of living trees was discovered by chance in in a remote rainforest canyon of the Greater Blue Mountains in Australia Due to the threat of extinction in National Geographic sold -inch Wollemi pine saplings in National Geographic s holiday catalog My husband Rod does bonsai and loves his bonsai garden so when I saw the advertisement for National Geographic selling these trees and it was a love story about finding a dinosaur in an Australian canyon I thought it would be the perfect addition to his collection Judy McKeever explained in a release Bonsai is a Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees in containers But Wally never got bonsaied or really trimmed at all and just kind of grew out of control The small grove of trees discovered in remains the only known site of Wollemi trees in the wild In that circumstances according to NWPS the trees can grow up to about feet tall Mature trees typically have more than one trunk and can produce up to trunks on a single tree A single trunk may reach up to years old and specific of the larger trees living in the wild could be hundreds if not thousands of years old Wollemi pines can be unveiled at selected botanic gardens and university collections Barberio announced CU Boulder s Wollemi is more than feet tall The Wollemi has deep-red bubbly bark and fern-like foliage Wollemi pines don t have a traditional triangular pine tree shape Wollemi trees have thinner branches closer to the ground and the top of the tree is dense and round making it look a little bit funky and a little bit more charismatic Barberio explained The Wollemi pine tree donated by two CU Boulder alumni has flat fern-like leaves differing from a traditional pine tree Matthew Jonas Staff Photographer CU Boulder s greenhouse is following recommendations provided by the alumni donors on the best way to care for Wally They re keeping Wally out of direct sunlight which can damage its leaves and watering every minimal days Growing trees in a pot can be hard Barberio stated but Wally can t be planted outside due to Boulder s cold weather conditions The main goal for Wally is to see it produce cones so the greenhouse can grow more Wollemi trees and assistance the species genetic diversity Barberio doesn t know how various years that will take but she announced she has seen Wollemi trees produce cones in similar greenhouse conditions Related Articles Survivors face unique struggles after losing loved ones to suicide The pain gets softer Boulder scientists track interstellar comet that sparked unfounded alien theories Dakota Ridge playmakers overwhelm Palmer Ridge to win Class A title Protesters call on CU Athletics to cancel contract with Key Lime Air amid ICE flights Tyler Childers is back at Folsom Field in Boulder next year with more concerts in store The greenhouse will utilize Wally to teach students and educate the inhabitants on promoting conservation It s really accessible and we re able to tell all these different stories Barberio mentioned And now that we have the Wollemi we re able to tell the story of the Wollemi plant conservation and paleobotany Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter