It endures the harshest of conditions, standing tall in large open plains that receive less than 150 millimetres of rain a year.
Botanist Dr Catherine Nano says it’s slow-growing, recruits only during rainfall events and can live for up to 200 years. [Other sources say 500 years.]
"It's a very interesting tree, in that there's two forms," she said.
The younger saplings and juveniles have a conifer-like form, and may take 35 years to get to about a metre in height.
"Once it hits over four metres, that's when you get the tree branching.
"It completely changes form, so you could be forgiven for thinking they're two different trees."
Known only from a few localities on the SW, SE and NE margins of the Simpson Desert. It occurs as several small disjunct populations, namely, about 60 km N of Andado Stn, N.T., and in Qld from 10 km and 60 km N of Birdsville and about 400 km further N, from Marion Downs Stn to near Boulia. The southern populations occur on fixed shallow sand aprons over clay and gibber slopes associated with denuded mesas. In the Boulia area it is associated with alluvium and palaeochannels of the Hamilton and Georgina Rivers.
World's heaviest wood. Very slow growing.
Seeds and foliage:
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