Araucaria cunninghamii

Aiton ex D. Don

Moreton Bay pine, Hoop pine

Araucariaceae Edible: Seeds 4,041 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

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. It is the earliest-diverging extant lineage within the genus, and the only species within section Eutacta native to continental mainland areas; all other species in the section are naturally confined to islands.

Description

A large tree. It grows 60 m high. The trunk is 1 m across. It is straight and often only forms branches high up. The bark is reddish brown. The leaves are arranged in spirals and crowded. The male cones are 8 cm long and hang down. The female cones are 6-10 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. The seeds are triangle shaped and 2-3 cm long by 1 cm wide.

Edible Uses

The triangle-shaped seeds are apparently eaten in Tropical America.

Medicinal Uses

The bark exudes a resin when cut. This resin can be dissolved in alcohol to treat kidney ailments.

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant. In Papua New Guinea it grows from 1,000-2,750 m altitude. It grows in areas with high rainfall and temperatures between 9-26°C. It can tolerate light frosts. In Yunnan. Arboretum Tasmania.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Asia, Australia*, Central Africa, Central America, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Guatemala, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Tasmania, Thailand, Uganda, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Seed are collected from ripe cones.

Propagation

Seed - Seedlings can be raised by pregermination techniques or by sowing into beds. A. cunninghamii can also be successfully grafted by using scion budding with material taken from the apical leader of the main stem, or by side-approach grafting and bottle grafting using the apical shoot of the main stem. Grafted branch material produces plagiotropic grafts and has little use other than for pollen production. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. Mature seeds collected at about 36% mc tolerate desiccation to about 7 % mc or even 2% mc without loss in viability. A germination rate of 43% has occurred after 8 years of hermetic air-dry storage at -15 deg. C. The viability of seeds that have been dried to moisture contents in equilibrium with ambient environment was maintained for 8 years at -9 deg. C to -15 deg. C. Similarly, 50% germination after 50 weeks of air-dry storage at -12 deg. C has been reported. If mature seeds are dried to 5% mc, long-term storage is possible in sealed containers at 3 deg. C. or lower.

Other Uses

The bark is heavily impregnated with resin. The wood varies in colour from almost white to cream or light brown. The wood is strong, finely and evenly textured, virtually without odour. It is durable if kept dry, though may be susceptible to fungal attack. It is easy to work, readily accepting a wide variety of stains and finishes. A medium-quality softwood, it is suitable for use as general-purpose construction timber; better grades are suitable for internal finishes for buildings, furniture and cabinet making. It is also an excellent veneer species and is used as such for making plywood. It is directly or indirectly suitable for pulping through the use of wood residues. A pioneer species in disturbed habitats where the soils may be very poor, leached, podzolic and acid. It is potentially capable of being an important plantation enrichment planting species in Africa and tropical America.

Production

Young trees grow slowly. Trees start to produce cones after 15-25 years. Female cones take about 2 years to ripen.

Notes

The seeds are apparently eaten in Tropical America.

Synonyms

Eutassa cunninghamii (Aiton ex D. Don) Spach.

Also Known As

Pohon arukaria hup

References (7)

Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 202
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 37
Lemmens, R.H.M.J., 2006. Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D.Don. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Louppe, D., Oteng-Amoako, A.A. & Brink, M. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 13 October 2009.
Soerianegara, I. & Lemmens, R. H. M. L., (Eds.) 1993, Timber trees: Major commercial timbers. Plant Resources of South-East Asia. Wageningen. No. 5(1). p 103
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 133

Show all 7 references