Araucaria humboldtensis

Buchholz 1949

Common names

Humboldt's araucaria (Silba 1986).

Taxonomic notes

Description

"A tree 6-15 m tall, with a candelabra-like crown. Bark exfoliating in quadrangular scales or in thin strips, bright brown turning gray. Branches somewhat in one plane, in a V-like pattern, 8-10 mm. in diameter. Juvenile leaves scale-like, triangular, 2.5-4 mm. long by 2-3 mm. wide, apex incurved. Adult leaves scale-like, midrib prominent, keeled, ovate, apex acuminate and incurved, 5-6 mm. long by 4-5 mm. wide. Male cone cylindrical, to 6 cm. long by 15 mm. wide, twisted, microsporophylls triangular, pollen sacs 6. Female cone subglobose, 9 cm. long by 8 cm. wide; bracts erect to 6 mm. long. Seed to 3 cm. long with a broad nut and with broad wings. Germination epigeal" (Silba 1986).

Distribution and Ecology

S New Caledonia: Mt. Humboldt, Mt. Mou and Mt. des Sources, 750-1500 m (Silba 1986). Occurs on the southern portion of the island, on ultramafic substrates (Schmid 1981).

The IUCN reports that the species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild due to a limited and severely fragmented distribution combined with ongoing decline in extent of habitat, number of subpopulations, and number of mature individuals.

Big tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

Remarks

Citations

See also

Association Endemia, a site devoted to New Caledonian species. Has excellent photos, a range map, and other information. In French.

de Laubenfels (1972).