Araucaria cunninghamii (Cultivated)

Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D.Don, Descr. Pinus ed. 2, 3: t. 79 1837. (syn: Eutacta cunninghamii (Aiton ex D.Don) Link; Eutassa cunninghamii (Aiton ex D.Don) G.Don; Eutassa cunninghamii (Aiton ex D. Don) Spach; Araucaria cunninghamii var. glauca Endl.; Araucaria cunninghamii f. glauca (Endl.) F.M.Bailey; Araucaria cunninghamii var. longifolia Antoine; Araucaria glauca Antoine; Eutacta cunninghamii var. glauca (Antoine) Carrière; Eutacta cunninghamii var. longifolia (Antoine) Carrière; Eutacta cunninghamii var. pendula Carrière; Eutacta cunninghamii var. taxifolia Carrière);

Araucaria cunninghamii is a species of Araucaria known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine and Queensland pine.^[3]

The scientific name honours the botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, who collected the first specimens in the 1820s.

The species is found in the dry rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland and in New Guinea.

The trees can live up to 450 years and grow to a height of 60 metres.^[4] The bark is rough, splits naturally, and peels easily.^[5]

The leaves on young trees are awl-shaped, 1–2 cm long, about 2 mm thick at the base, and scale-like, incurved, 1–2 cm long and 4 mm broad on mature trees. The cones are ovoid, 8–10 cm long and 6–8 cm diameter, and take about 18 months to mature. They disintegrate at maturity to release the nut-like edible seeds.

The wood is a high quality timber that is particularly important to the plywood industry and also used for furniture, veneer, joinery, panelling, particle board, flooring and boats.^[6]

Most natural stands in Australia and Papua New Guinea have been depleted by logging. It is now mainly found on timber plantations; however, the species continues to thrive in protected areas.

(From Wikipedia on 16.12.13)
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Gymnosperms Fortnight :: Araucaria cunninghamii Pune:: SMP 26 : Attachments (1). 2 posts by 1 author.
I don’t have a full size view of the tree but sharing a picture of leaf of Araucaria cunninghamii Hoop pine :: from Pune. Origin Australia.
Branches in whorls at long intervals, horizontal. Branches divided into lax branchlets at tip. Leaves spirally arranged, laminar, spinous tipped, linear falcate dark green

The Araucariaceae were very various in dinosaur times (245 to 65 million years ago) and they lived all over the world. Now there are just 41 species left, in 3 genera – Agathis, Araucaria and Wollemia.

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Gymnosperm Fortnight : Araucaria cunninghamii, Aiton ex A. Cunn. <=> Hoop Pine Tree – RA – Bangalore : Attachments (7). 1 post by 1 author.

Link

Araucaria cunninghamii is a species of Araucaria known as Moreton Bay Pine, or Hoop Pine. Other less commonly used names include Colonial Pine, Richmond River Pine, Queensland Pine, Alloa, Ningwik, or Pien, the wood is sometimes called Arakaria).

The scientific name honours the botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, who collected the first specimens in the 1820s. The species is found in the coastal rainforests of eastern Australia and in New Guinea.

The trees can live up to 450 years and grow to a height of 60 metres.
The bark is rough and splits naturally but does not peel. The leaves on young trees are awl-shaped, 1-2 cm long, about 2 mm thick at the base, and scale-like, incurved, 1-2 cm long and 4 mm broad on mature trees. The cones are ovoid, 8-10 cm long and 6-8 cm diameter, and take about 18 months to mature. They disintegrate at maturity to release the nut-like edible seeds