EVERGREEN
Widdringtonia schwarzii
FULL SUN
FROST HARDY
MEDIUM WATER REQUIREMENTS
MEDIUM GROWER
ATTRACTS BIRDS
ATTRACTS INSECTS
AVERAGE SIZE:
15m x 4m
Widdringtonia schwarzii
DESCRIPTION
A large evergreen tree with a dense conical crown of dark green needle-like foliage. The trunk is reddish-grey, think and flaking. It bears small male and female cones with rough warty valves.
2 responses
Hi Hanlie
Thanks for visiting Plantbook.
Definition of a living fossil: “an organism (such as a horseshoe crab or a ginkgo tree) that has remained essentially unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose close relatives are usually extinct”. (Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/living%20fossil)
This should probably be addressed to a botanist. In my opinion, it doesn’t quite meet the definition as it has at least one other relative, the critically endangered Widdringtonia-cedarbergensis.
Flourish!
Glenice
Can this tree be regarded as a living fossil ?