Araucaria luxurians

(Brong. et Gris.) de Laub. 1972

Common names

Coast araucaria (Silba 1986).

Taxonomic notes

Syn: A. cookii R. Br. ex D. Don var. luxurians Brongn. et Gris. 1871, A. columnaris (G. Forst) Hook. f. luxurians (Brongn. et Gris.) E.H. Wilson 1926 (Farjon 1998).

Description

"A columnar tree to 30 m. tall, with a dense rounded crown. Bark gray, exfoliating in thin strips. Twigs multi-stemmed at ends forming a fan-shaped branchlet, branchlets 10-18 mm. in diameter. Juvenile leaves scale-like, ovate, non-flattened, spreading, 6-12 mm. long. Adult leaves imbricate, scale-like, ovate, 5-7 mm. long by 4-5 mm. wide, midrib prominent. Male cone cylindrical, 12-17 cm. long by 25-28 mm. wide, scales triangular and acuminate, microsporophylls oval, pollen sacs 12-15. Female cone 10-12 cm. long by 8-10 cm. wide; bracts short and stout, to 10 mm. long. Seed 3-3.5 cm. long, with an elongated nut and with triangular wings. Germination epigeal" (Silba 1986).

Distribution and Ecology

S New Caledonia: along the coast, type near Canala, 200-1400 m (Silba 1986).

The IUCN reports that this species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild due to a limited and severely fragmented distribution that is experiencing ongoing declines in extent of habitat, number of subpopulations, and number of mature individuals. The surviving plants number no more than 2,500 mature individuals, with no more than 250 in any subpopulation.

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).