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{{Short description|Species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae}}
{{Short description|Species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Agathis australis]], in New Zealand}}
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{{Use Australian English |date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=January 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2023}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Speciesbox
{{Speciesbox
|image = SQldKauri.jpg
| image = Agathis robusta2.JPG
|status = LC
| status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_system = QLDNCA
|status_ref = {{R|IUCN}}
| status_ref = {{R|DESQLD}}
|genus = Agathis
| status2 = LC
| status2_system = IUCN3.1
⚫
|species = robusta
| status2_ref = {{R|IUCN}}
⚫
|authority = ([[Charles Moore (botanist)|C.Moore]] ex [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]) [[Frederick Manson Bailey|F.M.Bailey]]{{R|APNI|POWO}}
| genus = Agathis
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|synonyms = * ''Dammara robusta'' <small>C.Moore ex F.Muell.</small>
⚫
| species = robusta
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|synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}}
⚫
| authority = ([[Charles Moore (botanist)|C.Moore]] ex [[Ferdinand von Mueller|F.Muell.]]) [[Frederick Manson Bailey|F.M.Bailey]] (1883){{R|APNI|POWO}}
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
*[[Agathis robusta subsp. nesophila|''Agathis robusta'' subsp. ''nesophila'']] {{small|Whitmore}}
*''Agathis robusta'' subsp. ''robusta''
| subdivision_ref = {{R|POWO}}
| range_map = Agathis-robusta-distribution-map.png
| range_map_caption =
⚫
| synonyms = ''Dammara robusta'' <small>C.Moore ex F.Muell. (1860)</small>
⚫
| synonyms_ref = {{R|POWO}}
}}
}}


'''''Agathis robusta''''', commonly known as the '''Queensland kauri (pine)''' or '''smooth-barked kauri''', is a [[Pinophyta|coniferous]] [[tree]] in the family [[Araucariaceae]]. Although sometimes called a pine it is not a [[Pine|true pine]], having leaves rather than needles. It has a [[disjunct distribution]], occurring in [[Papua New Guinea]] and [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]. Populations in Papua New Guinea may be treated as the distinct species ''[[Agathis spathulata]]''.<ref>de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), ''Flora Malesiana'' 10: 337-453.</ref>
'''''Agathis robusta''''', commonly known as '''Dundathu pine''', '''kauri pine''', '''Queensland kauri (pine)''', '''Australian kauri (pine)''' or '''smooth-barked kauri''', is a [[Pinophyta|coniferous]] tree in the family [[Araucariaceae]]. Although some common names use the word 'pine' it is not a true [[pine]], having leaves rather than needles. It has a [[disjunct distribution]], occurring in [[Papua New Guinea]] and two locations in [[Queensland]], Australia.


==Description==
==Description==
''Agathis robusta'' is a large [[evergreen]] tree with a straight cylindrical trunk, which can often reach a height of {{cvt|30|–|40|m}}, and occasionally {{cvt|50|m}}.{{R|WMIC|FOA|CONIFERS}} The trunk is usually about {{cvt|1.2|m}} [[diameter at breast height]] (DBH), but occasionally may reach {{cvt|3|m}}.{{R|WMIC}} The bark is orange-brown to grey-brown, smooth, but shedding in large flakes.{{R|FOA|CONIFERS|RFK|COOPER2}}
⚫
It is a large [[evergreen]] tree growing straight and tall to a height of {{cvt|30|–|50|m}}, with smooth, scaly [[Bark (botany)|bark]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are up to {{cvt|12|cm}} long and {{cvt|5|cm}} wide, tough and leathery in texture, with no midrib. They are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely whorls of three) on the stem. The [[Glossary of botanical terms#globose |globose]], green [[conifer cone|seed cones]] measure {{cvt|8|–|13|cm}} diameter and mature in 18–20 months after pollination. They disintegrate at maturity to release the [[seed]]s. The male ([[pollen]]) cones are cylindrical, {{cvt|5|–|10|cm}} long and {{cvt|1|-|1.5|cm}} thick.

The [[Glossary of leaf morphology#linear|linear]]-[[Glossary of leaf morphology#elliptic|elliptic]] leaves are up to {{cvt|13|cm}} long and {{cvt|4|cm}} wide, with numerous fine parallel veins and no midrib.{{R|CONIFERS|RFK}} They are carried on [[Petiole (botany)|petioles]] measuring {{cvt|3|to|10|mm|sigfig=1}} and are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely whorls of three) on the stem.{{R|FOA|CONIFERS|RFK}}

⚫
The [[Glossary of botanical terms#globose|globose]], green [[conifer cone|seed cones]] measure {{cvt|8|–|13|cm}} diameter with up to 440 scales, and mature in 18–20 months after pollination.{{R|FOA|CONIFERS|RFK}} They disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are cylindrical, {{cvt|5|–|10|cm}} long and {{cvt|9|mm|sigfig=1}} diameter.{{R|FOA|CONIFERS|RFK}}


==Taxonomy==
==Taxonomy==
The Queensland kauri was first described as ''Dammara robusta'' in 1859 by the [[Germans|German]] born Australian [[botanist]] [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] and published in the journal ''Quarterly Journal and Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria''. In 1883 the Colonial Botanist of Queensland [[Frederick Manson Bailey]] published a paper in which he gave the species its current binomial name ''Agathis robusta''.{{R|APNI|POWO}}
The Queensland kauri was first described as ''Dammara robusta'' in 1859 by the German-born Australian botanist [[Ferdinand von Mueller]] and published in the journal ''Quarterly Journal and Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria''. In 1883 the Colonial Botanist of Queensland [[Frederick Manson Bailey]] published a paper in which he gave the species its current binomial name ''Agathis robusta''.{{R|APNI|POWO}}


===Subspecies===
===Subspecies===
There are two recognised subspecies {{As of|2023|01|lc=y}}, namely:
There are two recognised [[subspecies]] {{As of|2023|02|lc=y}}, namely ''Agathis robusta'' ssp. ''nesophila'' <small>[[Timothy Charles Whitmore|Whitmore]]</small>, which is restricted to [[New Guinea]] and [[New Britain]],{{R|POWO2}} and the [[Subspecies#Nominotypical subspecies and subspecies autonyms|autonymous subspecies]] ''Agathis robusta'' ssp. ''robusta''.{{R|POWO}}
* [[Agathis robusta subsp. nesophila|''Agathis robusta'' subsp. ''nesophila'']] <small>[[Timothy Charles Whitmore|Whitmore]]</small> ([[synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] ''Agathis spathulata'' {{small|[[de Laub.]]}}<ref>de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), ''Flora Malesiana'' 10: 337-453.</ref>), which is restricted to eastern [[New Guinea]] and [[New Britain]]{{R|POWO2}}
* ''Agathis robusta'' ssp. ''robusta'', the [[Subspecies#Nominotypical subspecies and subspecies autonyms|autonymous subspecies]], which is native to New Guinea and Queensland.{{R|POWO}}


===Etymology===
===Etymology===
The [[genus]] name ''Agathis'' is from the [[Ancient Greek]] word [[wikt:ἀγαθίς|''ἀγαθίς'']], "ball of thread", a reference to the appearance of the female cones (seed cones).{{R|WMIC|COOPER2}} The [[Botanical name#Binary name|species epithet]] is derived from the [[Latin]] word [[wikt:robustus#Adjective|rōbustus]] meaning "robust".{{R|COOPER2}}
The genus name ''Agathis'' is from the Ancient Greek word [[wikt:ἀγαθίς|''ἀγαθίς'']] 'ball of thread', a reference to the appearance of the female cones (seed cones).{{R|WMIC|COOPER2}} The [[Botanical name#Binary name|species epithet]] is derived from the Latin word [[wikt:robustus#Adjective|rōbustus]] meaning 'robust'.{{R|COOPER2}}


== Distribution and habitat ==
== Distribution and habitat ==
''Agathis robusta'' occurs in two locations, a southern population on [[K'gari (Fraser Island)|K'gari]] (Fraser Island) and around [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], and a northern population in the [[Cairns]] region, including the [[Atherton Tableland]]s. The northern population was formerly distinguished as ''Agathis palmerstonii'', but does not differ from the southern population and is no longer considered distinct.<ref>Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of ''Agathis''. ''Pl. Syst. Evol''. 135: 41-69.</ref>
''Agathis robusta'' occurs in three distinct locations — a southern population in southeast Queensland in the regions around [[Gympie]], [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], and [[K'gari (Fraser Island)|K'gari]] (Fraser Island); another population in northeast Queensland in the regions from [[Ingham, Queensland|Ingham]] to [[Cooktown, Queensland|Cooktown]], including the [[Atherton Tableland]]s; and the third in [[New Guinea]].{{R|WMIC|AVH}} The north Queensland population was formerly recognised as ''Agathis palmerstonii'', but is now considered to be synonymous with the southern grouping.{{R|WHITMORE}}

The species grows in rainforest on well-drained soils of various types, at elevations up to {{cvt|1100|m}} and where the annual rainfall is between {{cvt|1100|and|1500|mm}}.{{R|WMIC|RFK}}

==Ecology==
The seeds of the Queensland kauri are eaten by [[sulphur-crested cockatoo]]s (''Cacatua galerita'').{{R|COOPER2}}

==Conservation==
''Agathis robusta'' is listed by both the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the [[IUCN]] as [[Least-concern species|least concern]]. However, the IUCN assessment states that the "subspecies in Papua New Guinea has been assessed as Vulnerable" due to ongoing, albeit limited, logging.{{R|DESQLD|IUCN}}

===Pests and diseases===
A number of [[Lepidoptera]] species utilise the Queensland kauri as a [[Host (biology)#Plant hosts of micropredators|host plant]], including ''[[Agathiphaga queenslandensis]]'', ''[[Heteropsyche poecilochroma]]'', ''[[Leipoxais rufobrunnea]]'', ''[[Darna nararia]]'', ''[[Orgyia australis]]'', ''[[Achaea janata]]'', and ''[[Lexias dirtea]]''.{{R|NHML}}


==Uses==
==Uses==
This tree produces a high quality timber, which was used for a variety of purposes, such as cabinetmaking, joinery, framing, and plywood. This led to it being heavily logged from the mid-19th century, with the result that the large stands of these trees, which were once common, are now gone, although many individual trees may still be found. Logging in north Queensland continued until the establishment of the [[Wet Tropics of Queensland]] World Heritage area in 1987.{{R|RFK|WMIC}}
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.

==Cultivation==
State-owned plantations of kauri were established in both north and south Queensland in the first half of the 20th century and met with varying degrees of success; however, today little more than {{cvt|100|ha}} of plantation kauri exists.{{R|WMIC}}

More than 80 of these trees have been planted in the streets and parks of [[Cairns]].{{R|TREEPLOTTER}}

A long avenue of mature kauris, planted in the 1930s, are maintained at the heritage-listed North Queensland tourist attraction, [[Paronella Park]].{{cn|date=December 2024}}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Agathis-robusta-SF23011-01-edit.jpg|Specimen in the [[Cairns Botanic Gardens]]
Agathisrobusta.JPG|Foliage
File:Agathis robusta, Peradeniya 01(js).jpg|Trunk
AgathisRobustaBark.jpg|Bark
File:Agathis-robusta-SF23016-02.jpg|Near Freshwater Ck, [[Cairns]]
StateLibQld 1 101056.jpg|Harvested in the Eudlo district, Queensland, in 1905
File:Agathis robusta kz8.jpg|Foliage
Agathis_robusta_at_the_Huntington_Library_Rose_Garden_in_San_Marino_California.jpg|Located in the Rose Garden at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, California
File:Agathis-robusta-SF22354-03.jpg|Female and male cones
Agathis_Robusta_Huntington_Sign.jpg| History and description of Agathis robusta tree at the Huntington Library and Gardens
File:Agathis-robusta-SF23003-01.jpg|Scales and seeds from female cone
File:Agathis robusta (Queensland Kauri) seedling II, by Omar Hoftun.jpg|Seedling
File:StateLibQld 1 109472 Charlie Ball and Jack Ring with a large log of Kauri pine.jpg|Harvesting kauri logs, circa 1912
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist |refs=
{{Reflist |refs=
<ref name="DESQLD">{{cite web |url=https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=18040 |title=Species profile—''Agathis robusta'' |year=2022 |website=Queensland Department of Environment and Science |publisher=[[Queensland Government]] |access-date=20 January 2023}}</ref>

<ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |year=2013 |title=''Agathis robusta'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T16437966A2960124 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T16437966A2960124.en |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |year=2013 |title=''Agathis robusta'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T16437966A2960124 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T16437966A2960124.en |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>


<ref name="APNI">{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/77769 |title=''Agathis robusta'' |website=[[Australian Plant Name Index]] (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, [[Australian Government]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="APNI">{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/77769 |title=''Agathis robusta'' |website=[[Australian Plant Name Index]] (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, [[Australian Government]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>


<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:261672-1 |title=''Agathis robusta'' <small>C.Moore ex F.Muell.</small> |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="POWO">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:261672-1 |title=''Agathis robusta'' C.Moore ex F.Muell. |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>


<ref name="POWO2">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:874531-1 |title=''Agathis robusta'' subsp. ''nesophila'' <small>Whitmore</small> |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>
<ref name="POWO2">{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:874531-1 |title=''Agathis robusta'' subsp. ''nesophila'' Whitmore |website=[[Plants of the World Online]] |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>


<ref name="COOPER2">{{Cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Wendy |last2=Cooper |first2=William T. |author-link2=William T. Cooper |date=June 2004 |title=Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest |publication-place=Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia |publisher=Nokomis Editions |isbn=9780958174213 |url=https://www.nokomis.com.au/product/nokomis-published-books/fruits-australian-tropical-rainforest/ |page=4}}</ref>
<ref name="COOPER2">{{Cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Wendy |last2=Cooper |first2=William T. |author-link2=William T. Cooper |date=June 2004 |title=Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest |publication-place=Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia |publisher=Nokomis Editions |isbn=9780958174213 |url=https://www.nokomis.com.au/product/nokomis-published-books/fruits-australian-tropical-rainforest/ |page=4}}</ref>

<ref name="RFK">{{cite web |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Agathis_robusta.htm |title=''Agathis robusta'' |author1=F.A.Zich |author2=B.P.M.Hyland |author3=T.Whiffen |author4=R.A.Kerrigan |author2-link=Bernard Hyland |year=2020 |website=[[Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants]] Edition 8 (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), [[Australian Government]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>


<ref name="WMIC">{{cite web |title=Araucariaceae in Queensland |url=https://www.woodworksmuseum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Araucariaceae-in-Queensland-Web.pdf |website=Woodworks Museum & Interpretive Centre |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="WMIC">{{cite web |title=Araucariaceae in Queensland |url=https://www.woodworksmuseum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Araucariaceae-in-Queensland-Web.pdf |website=Woodworks Museum & Interpretive Centre |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref>

<ref name="CONIFERS">{{cite web |last1=Earle |first1=C.J. |title=Agathis robusta (Kauri pine) description |url=https://www.conifers.org/ar/Agathis_robusta.php |website=The Gymnosperm Databse |publisher=C.J.Earle |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>

<ref name="FOA">{{cite web |url=https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Agathis%20robusta |title=''Agathis robusta'' |last1=Hill |first1=K.D. |year=2020 |website=[[Flora of Australia]] |publisher=[[Australian Biological Resources Study]], Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>

<ref name="AVH">{{cite web |title=Search: species: Agathis robusta {{!}} Occurrence records {{!}} The Australasian Virtual Herbarium |url=https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Agathis%20robusta#tab_mapView |website=[[Australasian Virtual Herbarium]] |publisher=[[Australian Government]] |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>

<ref name="WHITMORE">Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of ''Agathis''. ''Pl. Syst. Evol''. 135: 41-69.</ref>

<ref name="NHML">{{cite web |title=HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants |url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=equals&Genus=&PGenusqtype=equals&PGenus=Agathis&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=&PSpeciesqtype=equals&PSpecies=robusta&Country=&sort=Family |website=[[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] |publisher=The Natural History Museum, London |access-date=19 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119104616/https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/hostplants/search/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=equals&Genus=&PGenusqtype=equals&PGenus=Agathis&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=&PSpeciesqtype=equals&PSpecies=robusta&Country=&sort=Family |archive-date=19 January 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="TREEPLOTTER">{{cite web |title=TreePlotter |url=https://au.pg-cloud.com/Cairns/ |website=Cairns Regional Council’s Street and Park Tree Database |access-date=23 December 2024}}</ref>
}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* {{Wikispecies-inline |Agathis robusta |''Agathis robusta''}}
* {{Commons category-inline |Agathis robusta |''Agathis robusta''}}
* [https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Agathis+robusta#tab_mapView View a map] of historical sightings of this species at the [[Australasian Virtual Herbarium]]
* [https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Agathis+robusta#tab_mapView View a map] of historical sightings of this species at the [[Australasian Virtual Herbarium]]
* [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?taxon_id=135362 View observations] of this species on [[iNaturalist]]
* [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?taxon_id=135362 View observations] of this species on [[iNaturalist]]
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q144112}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q144112}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Agathis|robusta]]
[[Category:Agathis|robusta]]
[[Category:Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago]]
[[Category:Flora of New Guinea]]
[[Category:Flora of Queensland]]
[[Category:Flora of Queensland]]
[[Category:Trees of Australia]]
[[Category:Trees of Australia]]
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[[Category:Least concern flora of Australia]]
[[Category:Least concern flora of Australia]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of Queensland]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of Queensland]]
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[[Category:Plants described in 1860]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Frederick Manson Bailey]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Frederick Manson Bailey]]
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[[Category:Plants described in 1883]]

Latest revision as of 14:43, 24 December 2024

Not to be confused with Agathis australis, in New Zealand.

Agathis robusta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Gymnospermae
Division: Pinophyta
Class: Pinopsida
Order: Araucariales
Family: Araucariaceae
Genus: Agathis
Species:
A. robusta
Binomial name
Agathis robusta
Subspecies[4]
Synonyms[4]

Dammara robusta C.Moore ex F.Muell. (1860)

Agathis robusta, commonly known as Dundathu pine, kauri pine, Queensland kauri (pine), Australian kauri (pine) or smooth-barked kauri, is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. Although some common names use the word 'pine' it is not a true pine, having leaves rather than needles. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Papua New Guinea and two locations in Queensland, Australia.

Description

[edit]

Agathis robusta is a large evergreen tree with a straight cylindrical trunk, which can often reach a height of 30–40 m (98–131 ft), and occasionally 50 m (160 ft).[5][6][7] The trunk is usually about 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) diameter at breast height (DBH), but occasionally may reach 3 m (9.8 ft).[5] The bark is orange-brown to grey-brown, smooth, but shedding in large flakes.[6][7][8][9]

The linear-elliptic leaves are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, with numerous fine parallel veins and no midrib.[7][8] They are carried on petioles measuring 3 to 10 mm (0.1 to 0.4 in) and are arranged in opposite pairs (rarely whorls of three) on the stem.[6][7][8]

The globose, green seed cones measure 8–13 cm (3.1–5.1 in) diameter with up to 440 scales, and mature in 18–20 months after pollination.[6][7][8] They disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are cylindrical, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 9 mm (0.4 in) diameter.[6][7][8]

Taxonomy

[edit]

The Queensland kauri was first described as Dammara robusta in 1859 by the German-born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller and published in the journal Quarterly Journal and Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria. In 1883 the Colonial Botanist of Queensland Frederick Manson Bailey published a paper in which he gave the species its current binomial name Agathis robusta.[3][4]

Subspecies

[edit]

There are two recognised subspecies as of January 2023, namely:

Etymology

[edit]

The genus name Agathis is from the Ancient Greek word ἀγαθίς 'ball of thread', a reference to the appearance of the female cones (seed cones).[5][9] The species epithet is derived from the Latin word rōbustus meaning 'robust'.[9]

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

Agathis robusta occurs in three distinct locations — a southern population in southeast Queensland in the regions around Gympie, Maryborough, and K'gari (Fraser Island); another population in northeast Queensland in the regions from Ingham to Cooktown, including the Atherton Tablelands; and the third in New Guinea.[5][12] The north Queensland population was formerly recognised as Agathis palmerstonii, but is now considered to be synonymous with the southern grouping.[13]

The species grows in rainforest on well-drained soils of various types, at elevations up to 1,100 m (3,600 ft) and where the annual rainfall is between 1,100 and 1,500 mm (43 and 59 in).[5][8]

Ecology

[edit]

The seeds of the Queensland kauri are eaten by sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita).[9]

Conservation

[edit]

Agathis robusta is listed by both the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the IUCN as least concern. However, the IUCN assessment states that the "subspecies in Papua New Guinea has been assessed as Vulnerable" due to ongoing, albeit limited, logging.[1][2]

Pests and diseases

[edit]

A number of Lepidoptera species utilise the Queensland kauri as a host plant, including Agathiphaga queenslandensis, Heteropsyche poecilochroma, Leipoxais rufobrunnea, Darna nararia, Orgyia australis, Achaea janata, and Lexias dirtea.[14]

Uses

[edit]

This tree produces a high quality timber, which was used for a variety of purposes, such as cabinetmaking, joinery, framing, and plywood. This led to it being heavily logged from the mid-19th century, with the result that the large stands of these trees, which were once common, are now gone, although many individual trees may still be found. Logging in north Queensland continued until the establishment of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage area in 1987.[8][5]

Cultivation

[edit]

State-owned plantations of kauri were established in both north and south Queensland in the first half of the 20th century and met with varying degrees of success; however, today little more than 100 ha (250 acres) of plantation kauri exists.[5]

More than 80 of these trees have been planted in the streets and parks of Cairns.[15]

A long avenue of mature kauris, planted in the 1930s, are maintained at the heritage-listed North Queensland tourist attraction, Paronella Park.[citation needed]

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  • Specimen in the Cairns Botanic Gardens
    Specimen in the Cairns Botanic Gardens
  • Trunk
    Trunk
  • Near Freshwater Ck, Cairns
    Near Freshwater Ck, Cairns
  • Foliage
    Foliage
  • Female and male cones
    Female and male cones
  • Scales and seeds from female cone
    Scales and seeds from female cone
  • Seedling
    Seedling
  • Harvesting kauri logs, circa 1912
    Harvesting kauri logs, circa 1912

References

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  1. ^ a b "Species profile—Agathis robusta". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Farjon, A. (2013). "Agathis robusta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T16437966A2960124. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T16437966A2960124.en. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Agathis robusta". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Agathis robusta C.Moore ex F.Muell". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Araucariaceae in Queensland" (PDF). Woodworks Museum & Interpretive Centre. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e Hill, K.D. (2020). "Agathis robusta". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Earle, C.J. "Agathis robusta (Kauri pine) description". The Gymnosperm Databse. C.J.Earle. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Agathis robusta". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 4. ISBN 9780958174213.
  10. ^ de Laubenfels, D. J. (1988). Coniferales. In van Steenis & de Wilde (eds.), Flora Malesiana 10: 337-453.
  11. ^ "Agathis robusta subsp. nesophila Whitmore". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Search: species: Agathis robusta | Occurrence records | The Australasian Virtual Herbarium". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  13. ^ Whitmore, T. C. (1980). A monograph of Agathis. Pl. Syst. Evol. 135: 41-69.
  14. ^ "HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants". Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum, London. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  15. ^ "TreePlotter". Cairns Regional Council’s Street and Park Tree Database. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
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