Hoop pine (Araucaria 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 species is found in the dry rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland and in New Guinea. The trees can live up to 450 years and grow to a height of 60 metres. The bark is rough, splits naturally, and peels easily.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.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Coniferophyta
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Class: Pinopsida
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Order: Pinales
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Family: Araucariaceae
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Genus: Araucaria
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