Australian PlantsPhoto Albums |
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83 species are considered extinct in Australia, with a small possibility that some could still exist. A sensational botanical discovery in 1997 for example, turned out to be the most important global discovery in the twentieth century. An isolated stand of conifers, the last of their kind and thought to have been extinct for millions of years were discovered in Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains. A group of odd-looking pines, stretching up to 40 metres through the canopy of a deep and inaccessible gorge, are from a group that once covered the southern supercontinent of Gondwana. Botanists had known about this species through the fossil record, but now were faced with real living examples. The other factor that makes this story astonishing, is that these prehistoric giants were living within 150 kilometres of Sydney, (Australia's largest city), in a country with a well developed scientific infrastructure and a long history of botanical research.
Original versions of our photos can be purchased & web versions can be shared subject to conditions.