''Araucaria cunninghamii'' is a species of ''
Araucaria
''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: .ɾawˈka. ɾja is a genus of evergreen Conifer, coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 20 extant taxon, extant species in New Caledonia (where 14 species are endemism, ende ...
'' 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
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and
explorer Allan Cunningham, who collected the first specimens in the 1820s.
Habitat
The species is found in the dry
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
s 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.
Description
The
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
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.
Subspecies
There are two varieties:
*''Araucaria cunninghamii'' var. ''cunninghamii'' – Australia, from northeast
New South Wales to east-central
Queensland, at 0–1,000 m altitude.
*''Araucaria cunninghamii'' var. ''papuana'' – New Guinea, on the mountains of
Papua New Guinea, and in
Irian Jaya,
Indonesia, at 100–2,700 m altitude.
Cultivation and other uses
The
wood is a high-quality timber that is particularly important to the plywood industry and also used for
furniture
Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
,
veneer
Veneer may refer to:
Materials
* Veneer (dentistry), a cosmetic treatment for teeth
* Masonry veneer, a thin facing layer of brick
* Stone veneer, a thin facing layer of stone
* Wood veneer, a thin facing layer of wood
Arts and entertainment
* ' ...
,
joinery,
panelling,
particle board,
flooring and
boats. Most natural stands in Australia and Papua New Guinea have been depleted by logging. It is now mainly found on timber
plantations; however, the species continues to thrive in protected areas, including
Lamington National Park where at least one walking track is named after it.
Aboriginal Australians used the
resin as cement.
Pests
The plantations in Queensland have been subject to damage by a native rat species, ''
Rattus tunneyi
The pale field rat (''Rattus tunneyi'') is a small rat endemic to Australia. It is a nocturnal and herbivorous rodent that resides throughout the day in shallow burrows made in loose sand. Once widespread, the range has become greatly reduced and ...
'', which digs to the roots of a semi-mature tree and kills it, the animal was declared a pest for this reason.
The vulnerability of ''A. cunninghamii'' plantations to pest losses has caused some of them to be replaced by ''
A. hunsteinii'' which suffers less in plantation.
Unspecified
Microlepidoptera are significant pests of the
pine cones of both.
Biological control
''
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
''Cryptolaemus montrouzieri'', common name mealybug ladybird or mealybug destroyer, is a ladybird species.
Etymology
Étienne Mulsant described ''C. montrouzieri'', naming the new species after a Marist brother and missionary, Abbe Montrouzi ...
'' is a
coccinellid
Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from . They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in Great Britain. Some entomologists prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as they ...
predator of
mealybug
Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...
and soft
scale insect
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...
parasites of ''A. cunninghamii'', and has several characteristics that make it a good
biocontrol for use in plantations.
Although they are less interested in other trees - by many multiples - ''C. montrouzieri'' does hunt the same pests in
custard apple and
citrus plantations.
Gallery
File:WilliamLawsonDr.jpg, Hoop Pine in Prospect Reservoir in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
Image:Araucaria cunninghamii bark.JPG, The banded bark of ''Araucaria cunninghamii''
References
*
External links
Australian National Botanic Garden: ''Araucaria cunninghamii''Gymnosperm Database: ''Araucaria cunninghamii''Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network: ''Araucaria cunninghamii''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1394414
cunninghamii
Trees of Australia
Trees of New Guinea
Flora of Queensland
Flora of New South Wales
Pinales of Australia
Australian Aboriginal bushcraft