In January, an ancient grove of Wollemi Pine trees was saved by firefighters from the catastrophic Australian bushfires. Specialist firefighters were winched down from helicopters to install an irrigation system so that the trees wouldn't catch fire. 

The Wollemi Pine grove, located in Wollemi National Park northwest of Sydney, are thought to have existed during the Jurassic period (199.6 million to 145.5 million years ago). There are less 100 wild mature Wollemi Pine trees left and they are all found in Wollemi National Park. Their exact location is a secret so the species can be protected from contamination.

Although the species is called Wollemi Pine, it's actually not a member of pine family. It's related to Araucariaceae, an ancient family of coniferous trees. The tree has a distinctive, dark brown bark and flat linear leaves. The Wollemi Pine is an evergreen tree which is evaluated as critically endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

About 'Plants & Nations' 

"Plants & Nations" is a series of articles and pictures about common plants in the world. It serves as a guide to beautiful plants from different countries. 

For more articles, please click here:

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(All photos are from VCG)

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