Queensland Kauri - what a tree for Southern Cali..................

[trioderob]

show a tree that grows really well and is epic in scope for southern Cal.

the "Queensland KAURI"

Saw it at the Huntington Garden in L.A. over the weekend.

maybe the most impressive tree I have ever seen along the coastal area .

any one growing it here ?

any of you Blokes down under want to talk about it ?

Edited November 18, 2013 by trioderob

[paulgila]

that is impressive. not many of us have yards big enough to accommodate a tree that size, unfortunately.

any idea of water requirements? I am gonna guess: "EPIC!"

[trioderob]

Here is another photo to give you an idea of how big these get

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

It is a big tree for sure, but when you think about it, it does not take up much real estate. All its mass is way up in the air!

I wish they were more available here in SoFla but nobody has them. I would have to take cuttings from Montgomery.

[paulgila]

the diameter at the base looks like its at least 2 meters. thats a lot of real estate in my yard.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Two meters wide is the average Ligustrum tree or maybe a nice Tibouchina. Plenty of room for a 100' tall tree.

[trioderob]

then go for it.

you wont regret it.

i have a good eye for plants and this one is a winner IMHO

[fastfeat]

Street trees on Paseo Dr in Cerritos, CA.

I've grown several from cuttings of these trees, but this is a very slow process. Got to root terminals of watersprouts, which root slowly but fairly easily. Then, they spend several years growing haphazardly before finally sending up a vigorous shoot from the roots which will grow much more vigorously. Probably easier from fresh seed if you can get it. I've tried hundreds of seeds from CA trees but never gotten germination. Supposedly need to get seed from intact cones.

[fastfeat]

A few more A. robusta from Cal Poly Pomona, now axed. They had about ten really nice ones.

Cone litter after a particularly windy day:

And an unidentified Agathis species at another part of the campus, also axed for even more "progress" :rage: . Sorry for the windy blur, but the last known pic of this tree:

[trioderob]

thanks for the photos !

nice tree

[Tropicgardener]

Here in their home range they are not commonly cultivated due to their massive size, you do see them mainly in botanical gardens and larger public gardens. They occur in rainforest from the tropics/subtropics and despite being a rainforest tree they do show great drought resistance once established........ Not too many of the massive ones can be seen these days in their natural habitat due to most being logged out in the early part of the 20th century.

[Daryl]

They are used in street and park plantings here. Surprisingly my neighbour has two in his garden. Cones can be a problem too, apparently. I've got one in a pot that I haven't watered in a couple of years...it is not bothered at all...

Young trees down the median at Southbank in Brisbane

[PANGEA EXPRESS]

Street trees on Paseo Dr in Cerritos, CA.

I've grown several from cuttings of these trees, but this is a very slow process. Got to root terminals of watersprouts, which root slowly but fairly easily. Then, they spend several years growing haphazardly before finally sending up a vigorous shoot from the roots which will grow much more vigorously. Probably easier from fresh seed if you can get it. I've tried hundreds of seeds from CA trees but never gotten germination. Supposedly need to get seed from intact cones.

How old would you say those street trees are?

[fastfeat]

Street trees on Paseo Dr in Cerritos, CA.

I've grown several from cuttings of these trees, but this is a very slow process. Got to root terminals of watersprouts, which root slowly but fairly easily. Then, they spend several years growing haphazardly before finally sending up a vigorous shoot from the roots which will grow much more vigorously. Probably easier from fresh seed if you can get it. I've tried hundreds of seeds from CA trees but never gotten germination. Supposedly need to get seed from intact cones.

How old would you say those street trees are?

I'm guessing that tract was probably built late 60s to early 70s.

[Eric in Orlando]

We have a couple growing well here. The biggest is about 20ft tall now. From the photos they seem to be more attractive as younger trees with fuller crowns.

In fact we are growing several Agathis species and they are all nice trees.

There is a nice collection of Agathis at Montgomery in MIami.

[Daryl]

Here is one I saw down in Adelaide a few months ago.The photo doesn't do it justice, this tree was huge.

[FNQ Marcus]

I've got the regular Kauri growing wild on my property, but I have to admit it's not my favourite one ( There are three local species)

Agathis atropurpurea is my favourite because it has a stunning blue/purple trunk. google it

[trioderob]

nice tree

Edited November 26, 2013 by trioderob

[Geoff]

the Huntington has several of these, too, shown off in the middle of some of their expansive lawns (two shots below). Third tree is the San Diego botanical gardens. Last three are all younger trees of different species... not sure how big they get: Agathis australis, Huntington, Agathis microstachya, Huntington, and Agathis palmersonii in Hawaii

[Mandrew968]

Here is another photo to give you an idea of how big these get

I have seen local mahogany bigger than that...

[trioderob]

we are talking southern California in this thread.

3 hour drive from me we have the worlds largest tree

Edited November 27, 2013 by trioderob

[Mandrew968]

we are talking southern California in this thread.

3 hour drive from me we have the worlds largest tree

Ok, we don't have those locally--got me there.

[Mandrew968]

we are talking southern California in this thread.

3 hour drive from me we have the worlds largest tree

Ok, we don't have those locally--got me there... but I thought we were talking Southern California?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Actually, we do have redwoods in South Florida. The one in the Deerfield Beach Arboretum is only a few (thousand) years younger than the one Rob showed.

[Mandrew968]

Actually, we do have redwoods in South Florida. The one in the Deerfield Beach Arboretum is only a few (thousand) years younger than the one Rob showed.

Really? I heard they don't grow for us... anyone else hear of Redwoods? Jerry, that's not what I meant, but if true, very cool still.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

They can grow here but will not thrive here. The one in Deerfield is about 7 feet tall and has not grown taller in a few years. I think many of the Agathis will grow well here, were it not for hurricanes.

[fastfeat]

the Huntington has several of these, too, shown off in the middle of some of their expansive lawns (two shots below). Third tree is the San Diego botanical gardens. Last three are all younger trees of different species... not sure how big they get: Agathis australis, Huntington, Agathis microstachya, Huntington, and Agathis palmersonii in Hawaii

Thanks for pics of the latter three. The late unidentified tree at Cal Poly was rumored to be A. microstachya, but never confirmed.

A pair of A. australis were at Fullerton Arboretum (via Strybing?) for a couple of years, but succumbed due to poor drainage. It's a southern (New Zealand) species that is probably better in NorCal.

[Mandrew968]

They can grow here but will not thrive here. The one in Deerfield is about 7 feet tall and has not grown taller in a few years. I think many of the Agathis will grow well here, were it not for hurricanes.

When happy, they can grow six feet a year. Only seven feet tall for the last few years sounds like it's not a long term plant...

[KrisKupsch]

Planting Agathis robusta along the roads of Brisbane, Australia is going to create either serious traffic accidents or simply much work for arborists who will have to remove the cones before they drop. I spoke to Brisbane City Council arborists who showed no concern despite EPA signs at Fraser Island warning death could result from being hit by a green unbroken cone, which are often chewed-off green by Cockatoo's.

[fastfeat]

Planting Agathis robusta along the roads of Brisbane, Australia is going to create either serious traffic accidents or simply much work for arborists who will have to remove the cones before they drop. I spoke to Brisbane City Council arborists who showed no concern despite EPA signs at Fraser Island warning death could result from being hit by a green unbroken cone, which are often chewed-off green by Cockatoo's.

In CA, Agathis cones almost always shatter before dropping and almost never see them green.

They're not nearly as problematic as cones of Araucaria bidwillii; those are typically scheduled for removal in municipal scenarios.

[Benjamin D.]

I recently went to the Huntington to admire some of these stunners. Anyone have seeds or cuttings to share, or know of a source? Thank you.

[bubba]

This is for Geraldo:

 

[johnnymak]

I'll have to go visit some bigguns in the wild and get some photos.