- Araucaria araucana
- Chile, Argentina
Information on the genus and species
Araucaria refers to the name of the province of Aurauco (central Chile). The trees were first discovered there. They were also found in coal mines as a fossil from the Carboniferous period, 280 to 345 million years ago.
It is an evergreen, bizarre conifer and a large park and front garden tree with a pyramidal-rounded crown;
Crown height: female tree up to 35 meters, male tree up to 18 meters. Branches arranged in regular whorls
Bark: scaly leaf bases, black-brown, thick scaly bark
Needles: arranged in a spiral, triangular, scale-like, spiny, lanceolate, pointed, shiny dark green on both sides; life span 10 - 15 years
Flowers: dioecious; male flower heads at the end of the twigs 15 cm long; female flower heads round on the upper side of the twigs 15 cm long;
Fruits: cones round-oval, 15 cm thick, brown seeds, winged
Characteristics: The trees grow 6 meters tall in 20 years and are disease-free, not completely frost-hardy, heat-tolerant, resistant to urban climates.