Araucaria cunninghamii

Aiton ex D. Don in Lambert 1837

Common names

Hoop pine, Moreton Bay pine, colonial pine, arakaria, Dorrigo Pine (Newbury [no date]).

Taxonomic notes

This analysis recognizes two varieties, the type and papuana. There is some evidence to suggest that the plants of Magnetic Island, off the coast of Queensland, constitute a third variety: Araucaria cunninghamii var. glauca (Antoine) Endl. 1847. The photographs shown here illustrate how the foliage and tree form of the Magnetic Island population differ from those of the type variety. These are the closest I have come to seeing the Magnetic Island trees and they certainly look much different from the type variety with regard to growth form.

Syn: For the type variety, Eutacta cunninghamii (Aiton ex D.Don) Link 1841; Eutassa cunninghamii (Aiton ex D.Don) Spach 1841; Araucaria glauca Antoine 1846; Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D.Don var. glauca (Antoine) Endl. 1847; Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex D.Don var. longifolia Antoine 1846 (Farjon 1998).

Description

"An asymetrical tree to 60 m. tall, 4 m. in girth. Bark rough, in horizontal bands, exfoliating in fine circular bands. Branches long, branchlets in tufts at the ends. Seasonal branchlets to 2 cm. in diameter. Juvenile leaves spirally arranged, green or glaucous, margins entire, flattened, stomata on both surfaces. Adult leaves scale-like, 0.8-2 cm. long, incurved, acute, imbricate, keeled on both sides, stomata on both surfaces. Male cone cylindrical, 2-3 cm. long by 5-7 mm. wide, with short involucral leaves, with 10 scales; microsporophylls rhombic, obtuse. Female cone ovoid, symetrical, 8-10 cm. long by 6-8 cm. wide, scales with longer reflexed spines than the New Guinea plants. Seeds 1.5 cm. long by 6-7 mm. wide, with narrow wings. Cotyledons 2, germination epigeal" (Silba 1986).

Bark heavily impregnated with resin, thus much more resistant to decay than the wood (Newbury [no date]).

Range

Australia: Coastal tropical and subtropical rainforests from northern Queensland to Coffs Harbour in NSW, at 0-1000 m elevation (Silba 1986, Newbury [no date]). Variety papuana occurs in the Arfak Mountains of western New Guinea.

Big tree

Reputedly, the largest living specimens are in the Cunningham Gap area near the Queensland-New South Wales border.

Oldest

Dendrochronology

"[T]rees growing in a seasonal tropical climate in north Queensland produce latewood during cooler and drier periods. Vascular cambium growth rates fluctuate, and slow-growing trees temporarily have inactive cambium around parts of the trunk so no growth ring is formed" (Ash 1983).

Ethnobotany

Widely planted in Australia, both ornamentally and in timber plantations. The timber is "a first-class softwood varying from almost white to cream or light brown. A plain timber of even texture without prominent grain or growth rings. Peels easily; the Australian plywood industry was founded largely on hoop pine. Virtually odourless. Durable in the dry but may be susceptible to fungi. Easy to work. Readily accepts a wide variety of stains and finishes. Uses: Plywood, cabinet work, furniture, flooring, mouldings and linings, boat building. At one time used for butter boxes, fruit boxes. Widely available" (Newbury [no date]).

Observations

Have see widely in Queensland; the largest specimens (and, in the least-disturbed forest) were in Lamington Mountains National Park on the Queensland-New South Wales border. The trees are common in the area and Park personnel can direct you to the location of notable specimens.

Remarks

This species is named for the celebrated early 19th Century Australia and New Zealand botanist Allan Cunningham (1791-1839).

I have a report from Magnetic Island that the cones of those trees are consumed by sulphur-crested white cockatoos Cacatua galerita (D. Simpson email 2009.10.09). This behavior is not surprising; see the Ar. angustifolia page for accounts of similar behavior by a corvid called the blue gralha, and many other conifers also constitute a food source for local birds. However, I have seen bird-conifer symbioses of this type only described for these two species of Araucaria.

For pollination mechanisms, see Araucaria.

Citations

Ash, J. 1983. Growth rings in Agathis robusta and Araucaria cunninghamii from tropical Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 31: 269-275.

Newbury, Keith. [no date]. WoodLink VWA Homepage-Hoop Pine. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~woodlink/woodlink.htm, accessed 2003.04.29.

See also

Hall et al. (1970).