Norfolk Island Pine
Araucaria heterophylla

Family: Araucariaceae

What it is like

An upright tree. It has a regular branching pattern. It grows to 30-70 m high and spreads 6-20 m across. The trunk can be 2 m wide. The bark peels in thin flakes. The branches are in rings of 4-7. The leaves are sickle shaped. They are 8-15 mm long by 1-2 mm wide. They are shorter on fertile branches. The leaves are crowded. They have an in-curved sharp point. The cones are 10 cm long and 12 cm wide.

There are 19 Araucaria species. There are 13 species in New Caledonia.

Where it is found

It grows in coastal and subtropical regions. It is salt tolerant. It is wind tolerant. It can grow in deep sand. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central America, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Norfolk Island, Pacific, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Slovenia, South America, Southern Africa, St Helena, Tasmania, Thailand, USA, Vietnam, West Indies, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. They can also be grown from cuttings.

The tree produces cones in significant numbers only every 3-5 years. It takes about 18 months for cones to mature.

Its other names

Local names

Kurijmoj teri, Pohon arukaria norfolk, Sobna smreka

Synonyms

Aracaucaria excelsa (Lamb.) W.T.Aiton; Eutassa heterophylla Salisb.; Dombeya excelsa Lamb.; Columbia excelsa (Lamb.) Spreng.; Eutacta excelsa (Lamb.) Link; Pinus columbaria Dum.Cours. Abies columbaria (Dum.Cours.) Dum.Cours.; Pinus australasica Bosc.;