Genus Araucaria Higher classification Monkey puzzles | Division Pinophyta Scientific name Araucaria columnaris Rank Species | |
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Similar Monkey puzzles, Araucariaceae, Norfolk Island pine, Conifers, Bunya Pine | ||
Araucaria columnaris cook pine
Araucaria columnaris, the Coral reef araucaria, Cook pine, New Caledonia pine, Cook araucaria, or columnar araucaria, is a species of conifer in the family Araucariaceae.
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Distribution
The tree is endemic to New Caledonia in the Melanesia region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
It was first classified by botanists of Captain James Cook's second voyage to circumnavigate the globe as far south as possible.
Description
Araucaria columnaris is a distinctive narrowly conical tree growing up to 60 metres (200 ft) tall in its native habit. The trees have a slender, spire-like crown. To some they look like unusually tall, thin "Christmas trees".
The bark of the Cook pine peels off in thin paper-like sheets or strips and is rough, grey, and resinous.
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.
The female seed cones are scaly, egg-shaped, and 10–15 cm. long by 7–11 cm. wide. The smaller, more numerous male pollen cones are at the tips of the branchlets and are scaly, foxtail-shaped, and 2 inches (5 cm) long.
The Cook pine can be confused with the Norfolk Island pine due to their similar appearances.
Ornamental tree
Araucaria columnaris is among the most common Araucarias planted as an ornamental tree and street tree in warm temperate climates. It is cultivated in gardens and public landscapes in Queensland and Victoria of Australia, northern New Zealand, Southern California, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Hawaii.
