CHRISTCHURCH BOTANIC GARDENS GETS NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST DINOSAUR PLANT - THE WOLLEMI PINE
A very rare tree - the Wollemi Pine has been gifted to the Christchurch Botantic Gardens by Greg Kitson of Ambrosia Nurseries.
The first Wollemi Pine has been planted in New Zealand at the Christchurch Botanic gardens in a ceremony to celebrate the gardens' 150th anniversary.
The discovery of the Wollemi Pine is the equivalent of finding a small dionsaur still alive on earth. The Wollemi Pine was discovered in New South Wales in 1994 and with fewer than 100 mature trees known to exist in the wild, It is classified as critically endangered.
The tree is grown in New Zealand by us - Gardening Solutionz from tissue culture under licence.
Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said it was a coup for the gardens to have such a rare specimen.