Araucaria cunninghamii

Scientific name: Araucaria cunninghamii Mudie 1829

Synonyms: Araucaria cunninghamii var. cunninghamii, Araucaria glauca Antoine, Araucaria cunninghamii subsp. tahitiensis Silba, Eutacta cunninghamii Link, Eutacta cunninghamii var. glauca (Antoine) Carrière, Eutacta cunninghamii var. longifolia (Antoine) Carrière, Eutacta cunninghamii var. pendula Carrière, Eutacta cunninghamii var. taxifolia Carrière, Eutassa cunninghamii (G.Don) Spach, Eutassa cunninghamii G.Don

Infraspecific taxa: Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana Lauterb. 1914

Common names: Hoop pine, Moreton Bay pine, Colonial pine, Richmond River pine, Dorrigo pine

Description

Tree to 30-60(-70) m tall, with trunk to 1.8(-3) m in diameter. Bark rough, reddish brown to grayish brown, flaking in patches and peeling in horizontal strips (or “hoops”, hence the common name). Crown dense, deep, egg-shaped, with a persistent framework of numerous original tiers of four to seven sturdy upwardly angled to horizontal branches bearing many, closely spaced, radiating branchlets densely clothed with foliage. Branchlets remaining green for several years before being shed intact or becoming incorporated into the branch framework, only partially hidden by the leaves. Juvenile leaves needlelike, sword-shaped, sticking straight out from the twigs, dense but with space between them, (8-)10-20(-27) mm long, sometimes bluish green with wax, straight, sharply pointed. Adult leaves clawlike, more densely packed and overlapping, 4-5(-10) mm long, strongly keeled on both sides, short-pointed and curved inward, green to blue-green. Stomates mostly tilted away from the long axis of the leaf in either direction, in two sparse bands on the upper (inner) face and two patches at the base of the outer face. Pollen cones (2-)4-10 cm long, 8-10 mm thick, each pollen scale with five to eight pollen sacs in a single row. Seed cones visibly longer than spherical, 6-12 cm long, 5-8 cm wide, grayish brown at maturity. Seed scales blackish brown with reddish brown wings, 2.3-3 cm long, 3-3.5 cm wide, including the papery, fragile wings, each 10-12 mm wide and wider than the 10-mm-wide seed-bearing portion, with a triangular, upturned free tip 2-7 mm long. Seeds almond-shaped, 1.2-2 cm long, 4-7 mm wide. Cotyledons emerging above ground during germination.

The species name honors early Anglo-Australian botanist Allan Cunningham (1791 - 1839), who collected the type specimen.

Northeastern Australia, New Guinea. Canopy emergent above rain forests of mixed and varied compositions; 15-1,500(-2,500) m.

Conservation Status

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern

Despite intense historic exploitation in Australia and ongoing exploitation in Papua and New Guinea and Indonesia, Araucaria cunninghamii and its two varieties are still sufficiently widespread and abundant to be assessed as Least Concern.

In northern Queensland stands are usually relatively small and sporadic. In southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales there were extensive forests prior to the arrival of Europeans and the advent of intensive exploitation in the 19th Century. In Papua and New Guinea it is relatively abundant in the Central Highlands. It is less frequent in Indonesia.

In Australia, Araucaria cunninghamii mainly occurs in the ‘dry vine forest’ and thickets that occur on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range at moderate elevations. It also occurs on some of the larger islands off the Queensland coast. Its range partially overlaps with that of Araucaria bidwillii, and in such localities the species are frequently co-dominant emergents. The two species have different periods of seed ripening and dispersal; Araucaria cunninghamii is wind dispersed and the seeds ripen in the period overlapping the two monsoons whereas Araucaria bidwillii produces ripe seed between December and April which is both the hottest and the wettest period in the Bunya Mountains. Argyrodendron is the commonest angiosperm dominant; numerous other trees and lianas are found in these forests where they are left undisturbed.

In New Guinea, Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana occurs most commonly in montane and high montane forests above 1,000 m altitude as an emergent (up to 70 m) rising well above a closed canopy of angiosperm trees. Commonly associated tree genera include Castanopsis, Lithocarpus, Cinnamomum, Calophyllum and Schizomeria. It often occurs with Araucaria hunsteinii.

The intense historic exploitation of this species in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales has resulted in considerable fragmentation of the original forests. This has been amplified by the extensive conversion of forests for agriculture and pastoralism. In some areas, these fragments are at greater risk from inappropriate fire regimes, invasion by exotic weeds such as Lantana camara and disturbance from domestic and feral animals. Fragmented stands are also more at risk from localised climate events such as cyclones. Some of the remaining natural subpopulations are surrounded by Hoop pine plantations that are of uncertain provenance raising the possibility of future outbreeding depression in populations that genetic studies indicate are strongly differentiated.

In Papua and New Guinea wildfires associated with El Niño droughts have decimated major stands of Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana in McAdam National Park and surrounding areas. Logging and deforestation associated with agricultural expansion and plantation establishment has also reduced the area occupied by this variety in both Papua and New Guinea and in Indonesia. This is ongoing.

In Australia natural subpopulations have historically been heavily exploited for the strong and finely textured timber that was used for a variety of applications from flooring, framing, cladding, panelling, plywood, veneers and furniture. Over-exploitation led to the establishment of plantations in Queensland and New South Wales; natural stands on government lands are no longer exploited. In Papua and New Guinea and Indonesia natural stands are still exploited to some extent although plantations have also been established.

In Australia many of the remaining stands are now within national parks or other protected areas. Logging on state owned land is prohibited and clearance of native vegetation outside of protected areas is greatly reduced. Weed and feral animal control programmes have been initiated in some areas. In Papua and New Guinea and Indonesia few stands are within effectively protected areas. However, many stands are in remote areas and are not currently exploited.

Varieties: -

References

Farjon, A. (2010). A Handbook of the World's Conifers. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden.
Eckenwalder, J.E. (2009) Conifers of the World: The Complete Reference. Timber Press, Portland.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Cambridge, UK /Gland, Switzerland

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