| Araucaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Araucaria araucana South America | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Gymnospermae |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Araucariales |
| Family: | Araucariaceae |
| Genus: | Araucaria Juss. |
| Type species | |
| Araucaria araucana [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Araucaria (/ærɔːˈkɛəriə/; original pronunciation: [a.ɾawˈka. ɾja])[2] is agenus ofevergreenconiferous trees in the familyAraucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to theSouthern Hemisphere, during theJurassic andCretaceous they were globally distributed. There are 20 extantspecies inNew Caledonia (where 14 species areendemic, seeNew CaledonianAraucaria), easternAustralia (includingNorfolk Island),New Guinea,Argentina,Brazil,Chile andUruguay.
The genus is familiar to many people as the genus of the distinctive Chilean pine or monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). No distinct vernacular name exists for the genus. Many are called "pine", although they are only distantly related to true pines, in the genusPinus.
Araucaria are mainly large trees with a massive erect stem, reaching a height of 5–80 metres (16–262 ft). The horizontal, spreading branches grow in whorls and are covered with leathery or needle-likeleaves. In some species, the leaves are narrow, awl-shaped and lanceolate, barely overlapping each other; in others they are broad and flat, and overlap broadly.[3]
The trees are mostlydioecious, with male and femalecones found on separate trees,[4] though occasional individuals aremonoecious or change sex with time.[5] The female cones, usually high on the top of the tree, areglobose, and vary in size among species from 7 to 25 centimetres (3 to 10 in) in diameter. They contain 80–200 largeedible seeds, similar topine nuts, though larger. The male cones are smaller, 4–10 cm (1+1⁄2–4 in) long, narrow to broad cylindrical, and1.5–5 cm (1⁄2–2 in) broad.
The genus is named after the SpanishexonymAraucano ("fromArauco") applied to theMapuche of south-centralChile and south-westArgentina, whose territory incorporates natural stands of a species in this genus identified asA. araucana; the Mapuche people call itpewen, and consider it sacred.[3] Some Mapuche living in the Andes name themselvesPehuenche ("people of thepewen") as they traditionally harvested the seeds extensively for food.[6][7]
There are four extantsections and two extinct sections in the genus, sometimes treated as separate genera.[3][8][9]
| Phylogeny ofAraucaria[10][11] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Section | Image | Leaves | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SectionAraucariaWilde and Eames, 1952 | .jpg) | .jpg) | Araucaria angustifolia – Paraná pine | southern and southeastern Brazil, northeastern Argentina. |
 |  | Araucaria araucana – monkey-puzzle orpehuén | central Chile & western Argentina. | |
| SectionBunyaWilde and Eames, 1952[12] | .jpg) |  | Araucaria bidwillii –bunya-bunya | Eastern Australia |
| SectionIntermediaWhite, 1947 |  |  | Araucaria hunsteinii –klinki | New Guinea |
| SectionEutactaEndl. 1847 | ||||
 | Araucaria bernieri | New Caledonia | ||
 | .JPG) | Araucaria biramulata | New Caledonia | |
.jpg) |  | Araucaria columnaris - Cook pine | New Caledonia | |
 |  | Araucaria cunninghamii - Moreton Bay pine, hoop pine | Eastern Australia, New Guinea | |
| Araucaria goroensis | New Caledonia | |||
 |  | Araucaria heterophylla – Norfolk Island pine | Norfolk Island | |
 | .JPG) | Araucaria humboldtensis | New Caledonia | |
 | Araucaria laubenfelsii | New Caledonia | ||
 |  | Araucaria luxurians | New Caledonia | |
.jpg) |  | Araucaria montana | New Caledonia | |
.jpg) |  | Araucaria muelleri | New Caledonia | |
 |  | Araucaria nemorosa | New Caledonia | |
 |  | Araucaria rulei | New Caledonia | |
| Araucaria schmidii | New Caledonia | |||
.jpg) | .JPG) | Araucaria scopulorum | New Caledonia | |
.jpg) | .jpg) | Araucaria subulata | New Caledonia |
Genetic studies indicate that the extant members of the genus can be subdivided into two largeclades – the first consisting of thesectionsAraucaria,Bunya, andIntermedia; and the second of the stronglymonophyletic sectionEutacta. SectionsEutacta andBunya are both the oldest taxa of the genus, withEutacta possibly older.[13]
Araucaria bindrabunensis (previously classified under sectionBunya) has been transferred to the genusAraucarites.
Members ofAraucaria are found inArgentina,Brazil,New Caledonia,Norfolk Island,Australia,New Guinea,Chile andPapua (Indonesia).[22] Many if not all current populations arerelicts, and of restricted distribution. They are found inforest andmaquis shrubland, with an affinity for exposed sites. The earliest records of the genus date to theMiddle Jurassic, represented byAraucaria mirabilis of Argentina, andAraucaria sphaerocarpa from England.Fossil records show that the genus also formerly occurred in the northern hemisphere until the end of theCretaceous period.[17]
By far the greatest diversity exists inNew Caledonia, likely due to a relatively recentadaptive radiation, as allNew Caledonian species are more closely related to each other than they are to otherAraucaria.[17][3] Much of New Caledonia is composed ofultramafic rock withserpentine soils, with low levels of nutrients, but high levels of metals such asnickel.[23] Consequently, its endemicAraucaria species are adapted to these conditions, and many species have been severely affected bynickel mining in New Caledonia and are now considered threatened or endangered, due to their habitat lying in prime areas for nickel mining activities.
Some evidence suggests that the long necks ofsauropod dinosaurs may have evolved specifically to browse the foliage of tall trees, including those ofAraucaria. An analysis of modernAraucaria leaves found that they have a high energy content but are slow fermenting, making their ancestors a likely attractive target.[24]
Some of the species are relatively common in cultivation because of their distinctive, formal symmetrical growth habit. Several species are economically important fortimber production.
The edible large seeds ofA. araucana,A. angustifolia andA. bidwillii — also known asAraucaria nuts,[25] and often called, although improperly,pine nuts — are eaten as food, particularly among theMapuche people of Chile and southwest Argentina, theKaingang people inSouthern Brazil and amongIndigenous Australians.[3]In South AmericaAraucaria nuts or seeds are calledpiñas orpiñones in Spanish andpinhões in Portuguese, like pine nuts in Europe.
Pharmacological reports on genus Araucaria areanti-ulcer,antiviral,neuro-protective,anti-depressant andanti-coagulant.[26]
Media related toAraucaria at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toAraucaria at WikispeciesClassification ofArchaeplastida orPlantaes.l. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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