Araucaria cunninghamii

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.

There are two varieties:

• Araucaria cunninghamii var. cunninghamii - Australia, from northeast New South Wales to east-central Queensland, at 0-1,000 m altitude.
• Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana - New Guinea, on the mountains of Papua New Guinea, and in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, at 100-2,700 m altitude.

Cultivation and uses

The wood is a high quality timber that is particularly important to the plywood industry and also used for making furniture, veneer, joinery, turnery, and boats. Most natural stands in Australia and New Guinea have been depleted by logging. It is now mainly found on timber plantations.

Australian Aboriginal use

At one time, the resin was used by Australian Aborigines as a cement.

External links

• Australian National Botanic Garden: Araucaria cunninghamii
• Gymnosperm Database: Araucaria cunninghamii
• Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network: Araucaria cunninghamii
• Tree Conservation Information Service