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Anns an Litir mu dheireadh, bha mi a鈥� bruidhinn mun uachdaran Rosach, Osgood MacCoinnich. Bha Osgood measail air lusan is craobhan a bhuineas do dh霉thchannan eile. Chuir e leas air d貌igh air cladach Loch I霉. 脌s a sin, dh鈥櫭╥rich Leas Inbhir I霉, a tha fo sti霉ir Urras N脿iseanta na h-Alba an-diugh.

Tha mi airson innse dhuibh mu aon chraobh sh貌nraichte a bhuineas do dh鈥橝str脿ilia, agus a tha a鈥� f脿s gu math ann an Inbhir I霉. Chunnaic mi an-uiridh i, agus thug i toileachas m貌r dhomh.

鈥橲 e sin an Giuthas Wollemi, craobh air leth sean. Tha e ri lorg gu n脿darrach a-mh脿in ann am p脿irc n脿iseanta ann an Cuimrigh Nuaidh a Deas, faisg air Sydney. Chan eil ach tr矛 doireachan dhiubh ann. Tha iad uile ann an gl貌man domhainn garbha. 鈥橲 ann d矛reach ann an naoi ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a ceithir (1994) a chaidh na craobhan a lorg. Roimhe sin, bha luchd-saidheans e貌lach orra a-mh脿in mar fosailean. Bha na fosailean suas ri d脿 cheud millean bliadhna a dh鈥檃ois.

鈥橲 e fear Daibhidh Noble a lorg iad. Chaidh a鈥� chraobh ainmeachadh mar Wollemia nobilis. Tha Wollemia a鈥� tighinn bho ainm na p脿irce n脿iseanta. Tha nobilis a鈥� tighinn 脿 Noble, ged a tha e cuideachd a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥榰asal鈥� ann an Laideann. Buinidh am facal wollemi do na t霉sanaich. Tha e a鈥� ciallachadh, 鈥榯hoir an aire, c霉m do sh霉il a-mach鈥�.

Chan e giuthas ceart a th鈥� anns a鈥� Ghiuthas Wollemi. Tha e nas dl霉ithe ann an c脿irdeas ris na monkey puzzles. Tha e s矛or-uaine, le duilleagan rudeigin m貌r. Ruigidh a鈥� chraobh ceathrad meatair ann an 脿irde.

Tha mi toilichte gu bheil e a鈥� f脿s ann an Inbhir I霉. Tha sin a鈥� ciallachadh, ma thachras dad don ghn猫 ann an Astr脿ilia, gu bheil e s脿bhailte ann an 脿ite eile. Agus o chionn ghoirid, bha f矛or chunnart ann gum falbhadh na craobhan n脿darrach mu dheireadh anns na teintean-coille ann an Astr脿ilia. Chuir seirbheis na p脿irce n脿iseanta sgioba de sm脿ladairean ann le heileacoptair. Agus, gu fortanach, chaidh aca air na doireachan, anns a bheil an Giuthas Wollemi a鈥� f脿s, a sh脿bhaladh. Mo bheannachd orra.

In the last Litir, I was talking about the Ross-shire landlord, Osgood Mackenzie. Osgood was keen on plants and trees that belong to other countries. He established a garden on the shore of Loch Ewe. From that arose Inverewe Gardens which are under the control of the National Trust for Scotland today.

I want to tell you about one special tree that belongs to Australia, and which grows well at Inverewe. I saw it last year, and it gave me great pleasure.

That鈥檚 the Wollemi Pine, a very old tree. It鈥檚 found naturally only in a national park in New South Wales, near Sydney. There are only three groves of them. They are all in deep, rugged canyons. It鈥檚 only in 1994 that the trees were discovered. Before that, scientists knew them only as fossils. The fossils were up to two hundred million years in age.

It鈥檚 a man called David Noble that found them. The tree was named Wollemia nobilis. Wollemia comes from the name of the national park. Nobilis comes from Noble, although it also means 鈥榥oble鈥� in Latin. The word wollemi belongs to the Aborigines. It means, 鈥榣ook out, keep your eyes open鈥�.

The Wollemi Pine is not a true pine. It鈥檚 more closely related to the monkey puzzles. It鈥檚 evergreen, with rather large leaves. The tree reaches forty metres in height.

I鈥檓 pleased it鈥檚 growing at Inverewe. That means, if anything happens to the species in Australia, that it鈥檚 safe in another place. And, recently, there was a real danger that the last natural trees would go [disappear] in the bushfires in Australia. The national parks service sent in a team of firefighters by helicopter. And, fortunately, they managed to save the groves in which the Wollemi Pine grows. My compliments to them.