Araucaria cunninghamii cunninghamii

Description

Araucaria cunninghamii is a species of Araucaria known as hoop pine. Other less commonly used names include colonial pine, Queensland pine, Dorrigo pine, Moreton Bay pine and Richmond River pine. The scientific name honours the botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, who collected the first specimens in the 1820s. 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.