Araucaria - Bunya Bunya Pine Of Queensland, Chilean Pine, Hoop Pine, Monkey-Puzzle, Norfolk Island Pine

(Araucar'ia)

DESCRIPTION: These evergreen trees are natives of Australia, South America, New Guinea, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island. A. araucana (Monkey Puzzle Tree or Chilean Pine) is native of southern Chile and Tierra del Fuego. In the U.S., it is hardy in mild climates and on the Pacific Coast, though it does better in cooler, coastal regions. In Great Britain and the milder climates of Europe it is a common sight in the landscape. The Monkey Puzzle Tree has spidery branches, which are entirely surrounded by tightly overlapping, stiff, dark green, pointy-tipped leaves. It usually produces male and female cones on different trees. When fully mature, which is after three years, the female cones are the size and shape of a coconut. The cones break up while still on the tree. This tree needs clean air; in polluted, industrial places, it will lose its lower branches and become straggly. A. excelsa is a nice house and greenhouse plant. It has compact growth with regular tiers of flat, soft-leaved branches. It grows from 3-5 feet high in pots. A. Bidwilli has long, dark green, sharp, tough leaves and large cones and is also seen in climates that are free of frost. Several of the Araucarias produce valuable, easily worked lumber, especially A. araucana, A. angustifolia, A. Cunninghamii and A. Bidwillii. The wood is used for the same purposes as that of Pine. The seeds of A. araucana and A. Bidwillii are used for food in their native countries.

POTTING: A. araucana does well in a damp atmosphere and in moist, but not soaked, loamy soil. If the ground is full of grit, the lower branches will die and the trees soon lose their vigor. A. excelsa thrives best in a sunroom or cool greenhouse and should have a compost of two-thirds loam and one-third leaf mold, with a bit of sand added. These plants should be repotted yearly until they are placed in 7- or 8-inch pots. Once they are in these size pots, they will not need to be repotted, though it is beneficial to remove some of the old surface soil in the spring and replace with fresh compost. A sprinkling of fertilizer every month from March to September will keep the plants vigorous.

PROPAGATION: Seeds can be sown in March, in pots of sandy soil placed under glass in a temperature of 50º F. Cuttings can be taken from trees that have been cut back; the cuttings are set in sand in March or April in a greenhouse or frame having a minimum temperature of 50º F. They will sometimes form roots if inserted in sandy soil outside.

VARIETIES: A. araucana (A. imbricata) (Chilean Pine or Monkey-Puzzle Tree); A. exelsa (Norfolk Island Pine); A. Bidwillii (Bunya Bunya Pine of Queensland); A.angustifolia; A. Cunninghamii (Hoop Pine).

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