The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens

Common name: Smooth-bark Kauri, Queensland Kauri, אגתיס חסון, אגתיס חסון

Family: Araucariaceae (Araucaria)

Distribution: Papua-New Guinea and Queensland, Australia

Habitat: Drier rainforests from around sea level to 1,500 metres

Life form: Coniferous tree

Uses: Construction and carpentry

Conservation: Least Concern

Remarks: In the past there were many larger trees, that reached over 40 m in height, and a trunk over 2 min diameter, but due to long term logging most of the larger trees were felled.

Species Etymology: Agathis means "ball of twine", alluding to the cone's shape.

In memory: of Nizza Yaffe-Ovadia, a teacher of nature and life.

Description: An evergreen monoecious tree. It is 25-30 m tall. Its trunk diameter is 1-1.5m. The trunk is straight, and branches only in the upper half of the tree. The crown is dense. Trunk color is orange-brown to brown-gray. The bark resin is clear or somewhat milky. The leaves are narrow and elongated - 5-13 cm long, 1-4 cm wide. The pollen cones are narrow, 4-10 cm long. The seed cones are spherical, 9-15 cm long. The tree is wind-pollinated.