(Above) Jack Doyle with the new curator of natural science, Isla Gladstone. Courtesy York Museums
A species of tree from Australia which shared the same ground as dinosaurs has found a new home in Yorkshire.
The "living fossil" of the Wollemi Pine is an example of one of the world's oldest trees, dating to the Jurassic period. It had been thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in a remote corner of Australian rainforest in 1994.
Cuttings were taken from one of the 200 surviving original pines, with one now taking pride of place in the Yorkshire Museum's botanical gardens.
The tree has been donated by geologist Jack Doyle to mark the Museum's acquisition of his collection of fossils.
"This Wollemi Pine is a very generous donation by Jack and a fitting way to mark the acquisition of his marvellous collection of fossils," said Mary Kershaw, Director of Collections for York Museums Trust.
"It is amazing to think that this type of plant was around millions of years ago. It is a great addition to the array of plants on show in the Museum Gardens."
The Wollemi Pine donated to the museum was originally a gift to Doyle for his 70th Birthday.
Fossils and field notes in his collection represent a lifetime of research into the Steepton Clay horizon of the Yorkshire Coast.
The area is world famous and considered the best site in Britain for providing fossils of marine life from the Lower Cretaceous period.
