Araucaria hunsteinii

Cladus: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Division: Pinophyta
Classis: Pinopsida
Ordo: Pinales
Familia: Araucariaceae
Genus: Araucaria
Sectio: A. sect. Intermedia
Species: Araucaria hunsteinii

Name

Araucaria hunsteinii K.Schum. & Hollrung

Synonymy

* Araucaria klinkii Lauterb., 1814
* Araucaria schumanniana Warb., 1900

References

* Fl. Kais. Wilh. Land 11. 1889
* USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinki or Klinkii) is a species of Araucaria native to the mountains of Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

It is a very large evergreen tree (the tallest in New Guinea, and the tallest species in its family), growing to 50–80 m tall, exceptionally to 90 m, with a trunk up to 3 m diameter. The branches are horizontal, produced in whorls of five or six. The leaves are spirally arranged, scale-like or awl-like, 6-12 cm long and 1.5-2 cm broad at the base, with a sharp tip; leaves on young trees are shorter (under 9 cm) and narrower (under 1.5 cm). It is usually monoecious with male and female cones on the same tree; the pollen cones are long and slender, up to 20 cm long and 1 cm broad; the seed cones are oval, up to 25 cm long and 14-16 cm broad. The seed cones disintegrate at maturity to release the numerous 3-4 cm long nut-like seeds.

Cultivation and uses

It is a fast-growing tree, and is being tested as a potentially important timber crop in tropical highland climates.

References

* Conifer Specialist Group 1998. Araucaria hunsteinii. Downloaded on 10 July 2007.
* Howcroft, N. H. S. (1978). Data sheets on species undergoing genetic impoverishment: Araucaria hunsteinii. Forest Genetics Resources Information 8: 31-37.
* Russo, R. O., & Briscoe, C. B. (2002). Performance of Klinki (Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schuman) in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 14 (4): 13-18.