If you think 'Jurassic' applies just to dinosaurs, you need to visit MUN's Botanical Garden
One of the world's oldest trees is now on display in St. John's
The Wollemi pine, which was once thought to be extinct and rediscovered almost 24 years ago, is now the star of the newest display at Memorial University's Botanical Garden.
"[It's] a very ancient plant that was only previously known in the fossil record going back 19 million years," said Todd Boland, the horticulturist in charge of maintaining the plant.
A field officer at Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, Australia, discovered the plant in 1994.
"He was scoping out the very far back reaches of the park where people generally don't go," said Boland.
After finding the plant and not being able to identify it, the field officer brought it to Australian authorities who identified it as dating back to the Cretaceous period.
"The whole plant world just went crazy because no one had ever seen this plant alive before. It was only previously known from fossil records," he said.
Boland said the Cretaceous period was the peak time for dinosaurs, and it is almost certain that dinosaurs would have been walking in the shadows of the Wollemi tree.
"It may have been browsed by some herbivore type of dinosaurs," said Boland.
Finding its way to NL
With a limited population in the wild, owning a Wollemi tree is rare. Boland estimates there are only 80 in the entire world.
After a propagation program made Wollemi trees available to botanical gardens in Australia in 2006, it gradually made its way to other parts of the world.
It looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It was the saddest little specimen when it came in.- Todd Boland
The MUN Botanical Garden received the plant six years ago, brought to the province from Fraser Thimble Farms, a botanical garden in British Columbia.
"It looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It was the saddest little specimen when it came in," said Boland.
"We kept it in the greenhouse. We fertilized it, watered it, treated it with TLC, and suddenly our ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan."
Boland said this rare plant is one of the only two in the region.
"In Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland has one and New Brunswick has one."
On display until the fall
The Botanical Garden has created a display inspired by the Wollemi's ancient origins.
"We are trying to recreate a little bit of the environment from back around 19 million years ago," said Boland.
Wooden cutouts of dinosaurs and even a nest of fake dinosaur eggs make part of the show, along with the tree.
"We have the triceratops, tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurus … the classic dinosaurs that most people are familiar with."
Weather depending, this Jurassic experience will be available at the Botanical Garden until the end of September.
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