Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Coniferophyta – Conifers
Class Pinopsida
Order Pinales
Family Araucariaceae – Araucaria family
Genus Araucaria Juss. – araucaria P
Species Araucaria columnaris (G. Forst.) Hook.

Common Names:
Columnar Araucaria
Cook Pine
Cook's Araucaria
New Caledonia Pine

(National Plant Databse. 2010.)

The trunk has dark, rough and scaly brown bark that is peels off in thin horizontal strips. The leaves juvenile plants are narrowly triangular, to 12 mm long, and needle-like. Adult leaves are widely ovate, about 6 mm long, rigid, usually broadly scale-like, spirally arranged or nearly 2-ranked, usually closely overlapping, flattened, persistent for many years. The male cones hang at the tips of the lower branches and are cylindrical and 6-8 cm long. The female cones are erect, green, globose-ellipsoid and produced in the upper branches. These may be up to 12 cm of diameter, with sharp tips at the ends of the scales. When mature the cones shatter to release the reddish brown scales about 4-5 cm in length, which bear the seeds.

Araucaria columnaris is often confused with Araucaria heterophylla, but that species has leaves that are more than twice as long.
(Preda, Milea. 1989. Dendrofloricol Dictionary.)

These Native Americans, who name themselves the Pehuenche ('people of the Pehuén'), harvest the seeds extensively for food.
These magnificent columnar trees are living fossils, dating back to the dinosaur age. Fossil records show that the genus also formerly occurred in the northern hemisphere until the end of the Cretaceous period.
(Kepler, Angela K. 1990. Trees of Hawai'i.)

They make attractive groves and are happily at home in containers indoors and outdoors.
(Preda, Milea. 1989. Dendrofloricol Dictionary.)
(Kepler, Angela K. 1990. Trees of Hawai'i.)