Araucaria hunsteinii


Araucaria hunsteinii is a species of Araucaria native to the mountains of Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It is a very large evergreen tree, growing to 50–80 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m, with a trunk up to 3 m diameter. The branches are horizontal, produced in whorls of five or six. The leaves are spirally arranged, scale-like or awl-like, 6–12 cm long and 1.5–2 cm broad at the base, with a sharp tip; leaves on young trees are shorter and narrower. It is usually monoecious with male and female cones on the same tree; the pollen cones are long and slender, up to 20 cm long and 1 cm broad; the seed cones are oval, up to 25 cm long and 14–16 cm broad. The seed cones disintegrate at maturity to release the numerous 3–4 cm long nut-like seeds.

Cultivation and uses

It is a fast-growing tree, and is being tested as a potentially important timber crop in tropical highland climates.