Araucaria columnaris
| Araucaria columnaris | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Araucariales |
| Family: | Araucariaceae |
| Genus: | Araucaria |
| Section: | A.sect.Eutacta |
| Species: | A. columnaris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Araucaria columnaris | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Araucaria columnaris,thecoral reef araucaria,Cook pine(orCook's pine),New Caledonia pine,Cook araucaria,orcolumnar araucaria,is a species ofconiferin the familyAraucariaceae.
Distribution[edit]
The tree isendemictoNew Caledoniain theMelanesiaregion of thePacific.
It was first classified byJohann Reinhold Forster,a botanist on thesecond voyage of Captain James Cookto circumnavigate the globe as far south as possible. It is named directly for Cook, and not for the Cook Islands.
Description[edit]
Araucaria columnarisis a distinctive narrowly conical tree growing up to 60 m (200 ft) tall in its native habit. The trees have a slender, spire-like crown.[3] The shape of young trees strongly resemblesA. heterophylla. The bark of the Cook pine peels off in thin paper-like sheets or strips and is rough, grey, and resinous.[3]
The relatively short, mostly horizontal branches are in whorls around the slender, upright to slightly leaning trunk. The branches are lined with cord-like, horizontal branchlets. The branchlets are covered with small, green, incurved, point-tipped, spirally arranged, overlapping leaves. The young leaves are needle-like, while the broader adult leaves are triangular and scale-like.[3]
The female seed cones are scaly, egg-shaped, and 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long by 7–11 cm (3–4 in) wide. The smaller, more numerous male pollen cones are at the tips of the branchlets and are scaly, foxtail-shaped, and 5 cm (2 inches) long.[3]
A 2017 study found that trees tend to have a tilt dependent on the hemisphere of their location, growing upright on the Equator but leaning south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere.[4]
Ornamental tree[edit]
It is cultivated in gardens and public landscapes inQueenslandand Victoria of Australia, northern New Zealand,Southern California,Puerto Rico,Mexico,India,Philippines,Hawaii,South Brazil,Singapore,andSoutheast Brazil.[3]Many of the "Norfolk Island pines"that grow in Hawaii, including their descendants used as potted ornamentals on the U.S. mainland, are actuallyA. columnaris,the two species having been confused when introduced.[5]
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Male cones -
Female cones -
Foliage
References[edit]
- ^Thomas, P. (2010)."Araucaria columnaris".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2010:e.T42196A10661112.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T42196A10661112.en.Retrieved14 November2021.
- ^"Araucaria columnaris(G.Forst.) Hook. ".World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Retrieved13 December2017– viaThe Plant List.Note that this website has been superseded byWorld Flora Online
- ^abcde"Araucaria columnaris".The Gymnosperm Database.
- ^Johns, J. W.; Yost, J. M.; Nicolle, D.; Igic, B.; Ritter, M. K. (2017)."Worldwide hemisphere-dependent lean in Cook pines".Ecology.98(9): 2482–2484.Bibcode:2017Ecol...98.2482J.doi:10.1002/ecy.1850.PMID28556968.
- ^Armstrong, Wayne P."The Araucaria Family: Past & Present".Pacific Horticulture Society.Retrieved6 March2021.
External links[edit]
- Endemia.NewCaledonia —Araucaria columnaris— distribution maps & text info.
- Conifers.org:Araucaria columnaris(coral reef araucaria)—description & images.
- Foster Garden (Honolulu, Hawai'i) —Araucaria columnarisimage.
- University of Murcia.es: World Plants virtual gallery photos ofAraucaria columnaris
