| General Description | A man named Andrew Petrie first spotted this unique evergreen in 1842 in Mary River Country, Australia. |
| Shape | Columnar with a wide spanning head of foliage, straight trunk that has little taper that eventually broadens out into a dense crown formation. |
| Landscape | Ornamental tree. |
| Propagation | Seed. |
| Cultivation | Full sun to partial shade, sandy or sandy loam, well drained, rich soil with a pH level between 4 - 6. |
| Pests | Oxythrips agathidis and Conifericoccus agathidis. |
| Notable Specimens | Albury Botanic Gardens, (Albury, Victoria).Measured at 37 m in 2010, trunk diameter 200 cm.
Adelaide Botanic Gardens, (Australia). Measured at 37 m and a trunk diameter of 202 cm as of 2008.
Yatton Park (Tauranga, New Zealand). Measured at 32 m and trunk diameter of 207 cm as of 2013. The tree was planted in 1980. |
| Habitat | Rainforests. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Two different types of shoots are evident (primary and lateral shoots) that branch off to form the crown of the tree. The lower half of the trunk is without branches as the plant self-prunes. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Has axillary meristems that never fully develop into a proper bud. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves have a smooth and glossy look and are 5 - 13 cm long by 1 - 4 cm wide. The leaves are arranged spirally on primary shoots but on lateral shoots they are arranged oppositely. The veins on the leaf run parallel to the edge of the leaf blade. |
| Flower Description | Has both male and female cones. Both cones are very scaly but the male cones are smaller in size. The cones have ridges from the scales and have a circular to ovular shape. The male cones measure 4 - 10 cm long. |
| Fruit Description | Oval, circular shape much like the cones. If harvested the cones will split open to reveal the seed when ripe or when they are dried out. The seed itself is slightly heart shaped with wings. |
| Colour Description | The bark is a light grey colour and has peeling flakes that are a reddish-pinkish-orangish-brown. The leaves are a deep rich green. The cones are a light to dark green colour with light green edges. The fruit cones are green when young and turn to a brown colour when mature. The seed is also brown. |
| Texture Description | The leaves have a smooth lathery texture. |