Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana / New Guinea Hoop Pine

Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana

There is some question whether this taxon is particularly closely related to A. cunninghamii; it may in actuality prove to be a species in its own right, but resolution of this question awaits further study.

A tree 22-60 m. tall, to 1 m. in girth, with symmetrical branches. Bark peeling off in thin rolls. Leaves acute, 1 cm. long by 2.5 mm. wide, keeled on both faces, apex recurved and spine-tipped. Male cone relatively short, 2.5 cm. long by 0.5 cm. wide. Female cone to 11 cm. long, bracts black and longer. Seeds shorter and broader with larger wings, nut 8 mm. wide, wing 10 mm. wide, entire seed 2.5 cm. long by 3.5 cm. wide" (Silba 1986).

Its distribution includes W New Guinea: Papua New Guinea westwards, 610-2400 m (Silba 1986). It often occurs in conjunction with A. hunsteinii. Compared to A. hunsteinii, A. cunninghamii has a dispersed regeneration pattern beneath a closed canopy (rather than relying on gap-phase regeneration) and typically occurs on wetter, less nutrient-rich sites, despite which it maintains higher productivity (Enright 1982a, 1982b)

Attribution from: Gymnosperm Database