Araucaria heterophylla

Family - Araucariaceae

Synonym - Eutassa heterophylla, Araucaria excelsa

Vernacular names - Arakaria

Habit - Tree

Habitat - Grown as ornamental tree

Distribution - Australia to Polynesia

Flowering and Fruiting - Throughout the year

Key Identification features - Conical trees, reaching up to 30m in height, have bark that peels off in thin flakes, with a resinous exudation. Their branches are whorled and can be either horizontal or pendent. The branchlets are mostly distichous, growing horizontally or drooping. Juvenile leaves are awl-shaped, incurved, with four angles and a sharp-pointed apex. On older stems, the leaves are broadly lanceolate or ovate.

Uses - It is an ornamental plant