Araucaria

Araucaria Temporal range: Triassic–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Araucaria araucana growing around a lake in Neuquén, Argentina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Pinales
Family:	Araucariaceae
Genus:	Araucaria Juss.
Type species
Araucaria araucana  Pav.
Worldwide distribution of Araucaria species.

Araucaria (pronunciation: /ærɔːˈkɛəriə/) is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in New Caledonia (where 13 species are endemic), Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.

Araucaria are mainly large trees with a massive erect stem, reaching a height of 30–80 metres (98–262 ft). The horizontal, spreading branches grow in whorls and are covered with leathery or needle-like leaves. 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.

The trees are mostly dioecious, with male and female cones found on separate trees, though occasional individuals are monoecious or change sex with time. The female cones, usually high on the top of the tree, are globose, and vary in size among species from 7 to 25 centimetres (2.8 to 9.8 in) diameter. They contain 80–200 large edible seeds, similar to pine nuts, though larger. The male cones are smaller, 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) long, and narrow to broad cylindrical, 1.5–5.0 cm (0.6–2.0 in) broad.