Wollemia nobilis
Dinosaur trees attract a mint
October 24, 2005 [The Australian]BUYERS from around the world have paid more than $1 million to own a species of tree thought to have been extinct until a small grove was found in Australia a decade ago, auction house Sotheby’s said today.
The Wollemi Pine, thought to have been extinct for two million years until 15 of the trees were discovered growing in a valley west of Sydney in 1994, is believed to have existed since the Jurassic period 200 million years ago.
Cuttings from the grove, whose exact location remains a tightly kept secret, were used to produce the 292 trees, which were sold at auction Sunday in the first sale of its kind.
The 148 lots attracted bids of $1,059,162 a spokeswoman for Sotheby’s said – an average of $3,627 dollars a tree.
The most expensive lot was a replica of the entire secret grove, grown from cuttings of each of its 15 wild plants, which sold for $149,187.50, far surpassing its estimated price of $30,000 to $50,000 dollars. …
[1] Dinosaur trees attract a mint [The Australian]
[2] Secret life of plants – mystery man buys first Wollemi [Sydney Morning Herald]
