The Wollemi Pine
In the last Litir, I was talking about the Ross-shire landlord, Osgood
Mackenzie. Osgood was keen on plants and trees that belong to other
countries. He established a garden on the shore of Loch Ewe. From that
arose Inverewe Gardens which are under the control of the National
Trust for Scotland today.
I want to tell you about one special tree that belongs to Australia,
and which grows well at Inverewe. I saw it last year, and it gave me
great pleasure.
That’s the Wollemi Pine, a very old tree. It’s found naturally only in
a national park in New South Wales, near Sydney. There are only three
groves of them. They are all in deep, rugged canyons. It’s only in 1994
that the trees were discovered. Before that, scientists knew them only
as fossils. The fossils were up to two hundred million years in age.
It’s a man called David Noble that found them. The tree was named
Wollemia nobilis. Wollemia comes from the name of the national park. Nobilis
comes from Noble, although it also means ‘noble’ in Latin. The word
wollemi
belongs to the Aborigines. It means, ‘look out, keep your eyes open’.
The Wollemi Pine is not a true pine. It’s more closely related to the
monkey puzzles. It’s evergreen, with rather large leaves. The tree
reaches forty metres in height.
I’m pleased it’s growing at Inverewe. That means, if anything happens to
the species in Australia, that it’s safe in another place. And, recently,
there was a real danger that the last natural trees would go [disappear] in
the bushfires in Australia. The national parks service sent in a team of
firefighters by helicopter. And, fortunately, they managed to save the
groves in which the Wollemi Pine grows. My compliments to them.
An Giuthas Wollemi
Anns an Litir mu dheireadh, bha mi a’ bruidhinn mun uachdaran Rosach,
Osgood MacCoinnich. Bha Osgood measail air lusan is craobhan a bhuineas do
dhùthchannan eile. Chuir e leas air dòigh air cladach Loch Iù. Às a sin,
dh’èirich Leas Inbhir Iù, a tha fo stiùir Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba
an-diugh.
Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu aon chraobh shònraichte a bhuineas do
dh’Astràilia, agus a tha a’ fàs gu math ann an Inbhir Iù. Chunnaic mi
an-uiridh i, agus thug i toileachas mòr dhomh.
’S e sin an Giuthas Wollemi, craobh air leth sean. Tha e ri lorg gu
nàdarrach a-mhàin ann am pàirc nàiseanta ann an Cuimrigh Nuaidh a Deas,
faisg air Sydney. Chan eil ach trì doireachan dhiubh ann. Tha iad uile ann
an glòman domhainn garbha. ’S ann dìreach ann an naoi ceud deug, naochad ’s
a ceithir (1994) a chaidh na craobhan a lorg. Roimhe sin, bha
luchd-saidheans eòlach orra a-mhàin mar fosailean. Bha na fosailean suas ri
dà cheud millean bliadhna a dh’aois.
’S e fear Daibhidh Noble a lorg iad. Chaidh a’ chraobh ainmeachadh mar Wollemia nobilis. Tha Wollemia a’ tighinn bho ainm na
pàirce nàiseanta. Tha nobilis a’ tighinn à Noble, ged a tha e
cuideachd a’ ciallachadh ‘uasal’ ann an Laideann. Buinidh am facal wollemi do na tùsanaich. Tha e a’ ciallachadh, ‘thoir an aire, cùm
do shùil a-mach’.
Chan e giuthas ceart a th’ anns a’ Ghiuthas Wollemi. Tha e nas dlùithe ann
an càirdeas ris na monkey puzzles. Tha e sìor-uaine, le duilleagan
rudeigin mòr. Ruigidh a’ chraobh ceathrad meatair ann an àirde.
Tha mi toilichte gu bheil e a’ fàs ann an Inbhir Iù. Tha sin a’
ciallachadh, ma thachras dad don ghnè ann an Astràilia, gu bheil e
sàbhailte ann an àite eile. Agus o chionn ghoirid, bha fìor chunnart ann
gum falbhadh na craobhan nàdarrach mu dheireadh anns na teintean-coille ann
an Astràilia. Chuir seirbheis na pàirce nàiseanta sgioba de smàladairean
ann le heileacoptair. Agus, gu fortanach, chaidh aca air na doireachan,
anns a bheil an Giuthas Wollemi a’ fàs, a shàbhaladh. Mo bheannachd orra.
