Agathis atropurpurea

B.Hyland (1978)

Common names

Blue kauri, black kauri.

Taxonomic notes

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Description

Tree to 50 m tall. Bark purplish-brown or purplish-black, sometimes glaucous, smooth to coarsely scaly. Branchlets sometimes glaucous. Buds globular, to 1.5 mm long. Leaves oval-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 37–45 mm long by 8–14 mm wide, closely set, glaucous beneath, apex bluntly notched. Male cones 9–16 mm long by 4–7 mm wide; microsporophylls strongly imbricate, margins entire; anthers 2–5; on a peduncle 2–3 mm long. Female cone globular, 35–55 mm wide, olive-green, somewhat glaucous. Seeds tan, to 12 mm long, wings cinnamon-brown, larger wing to 15 mm wide (Silba 1986).

Distribution and Ecology

Australia: N Queensland, Bellenden Ker Range, at 900–1500 m elevation (Silba 1986). You can also create a highly detailed map, and access specimen data, using the "search" function at the Australia Virtual Herbarium.

The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (2001) found that "Wherever logging is allowed exploitation has been very heavy and populations have declined. A large percentage of the forests is now protected."

Remarkable Specimens

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Ethnobotany

No data as of 2026-01-15.

Observations

Best seen in Wurunuru National Park. I don't have a precise location but supposedly it can be seen along a popular waterfall hike. It can also be seen on the hike to the top of Mt. Bartle Frere.

Remarks

The epithet is compounded from atro, "dark", and purpurea, "purple", referring to the bark.

Citations

Hyland, B. 1978. A revision of the genus Agathis (Araucariaceae) in Australia. Brunonia 1(3):103–115 (p. 109).

World Conservation Monitoring Centre. 2001. World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Trees. http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/SaCGI.cgi/trees.exe, accessed 2001.07.13, now defunct.

See also

Photos by Peter Richardson.

The species account at Threatened Conifers of the World.