Wollemi pine tree (Wollemia nobilis) Photographed at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. The wollemi pine is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. Discovered in Australia in 1994, it is one of the oldest and rarest species of plant in the world, with the oldest known fossil record dating from 90 million years ago. As part of a hardiness trial and conservation programme, young wollemi pine trees propagated from cuttings were dispatched to the Royal Botanic Garden in December 2004, where they underwent a period of quarantine before being planted out. In a bid to conserve the plant, the tree is to be made available to the public in 2006.