Araucaria cunninghamii

Hoop Pine

Family Araucariaceae

Botanical name. Araucaria comes from 'Araucanos', a tribe in Chile that inhabited the region where the first Araucaria was discovered. The species name cunninghamii is in honour of Alan Cunningham, 1791­1839, botanist and explorer.

Habitat. These trees occur on drier sites in rainforests, in places that are rocky or have soils with relatively low fertility.

Features. These trees grow to 60 m, live up to 450 years and grow very slowly (2­3 mm each year when mature). It can take over 200 years for them to produce cones. The male and female cones are usually found on the same tree. The seeds are dispersed by the wind. The juvenile leaves are different from the adult leaves. The bark splits horizontally at regular intervals giving the common name, Hoop Pine.

European use. The wood is a pale yellow-brown colour with a fine texture and a straight grain making it useful for furniture, flooring, panelling and, in the past, match sticks and boxes.

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Education Service - Australian National Botanic Gardens

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