Agathis atropurpurea

B. Hyland 1978

Common names

Blue kauri.

Taxonomic notes

Description

Tree to 50 m tall. Bark purplish-brown or purplish-black, sometimes glaucous, smooth to coarsely scaly. Branchlets sometimes glaucous. Buds globular, to 1.5 mm long. Leaves oval-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 37-45 mm long by 8-14 mm wide, closely set, glaucous beneath, apex bluntly notched. Male cones 9-16 mm long by 4-7 mm wide; microsporophylls strongly imbricate, margins entire; anthers 2-5; on a peduncle 2-3 mm long. Female cone globular, 35-55 mm wide, olive-green, somewhat glaucous. Seeds tan, to 12 mm long, wings cinnamon-brown, larger wing to 15 mm wide (Silba 1986).

Range

Australia: N Queensland, Bellenden Ker Range, 900-1500m (Silba 1986).

Big tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Best seen in Wurunuru National Park. I don't have a precise location but supposedly it can be seen along a popular waterfall hike. It can also be seen on the hike to the top of Mt. Bartle Frere.

Remarks

This species is listed as "Lower Risk, near threatened" by the WCMC, which adds: "A timber species scattered in montane rainforest. Wherever logging is allowed exploitation has been very heavy and populations have declined. A large percentage of the forests is now protected."

Citations

See also

Photos by Peter Richardson HERE.