About
Araucaria angustifolia is a sizable evergreen tree that exhibits a slender, pyramidal form in its youth, gradually transitioning to a more rounded shape as it matures. Its leaves are thick, triangular, and measure between 3 to 6 cm in length, featuring sharp edges and tips. These leaves are arranged in a spiral pattern along the branchlets, with tufted clusters often found at the tips. This species typically has male and female cones on separate trees; the male cones are elongated, reaching lengths of up to 18 cm, while the female cones are spherical, ranging from 18 to 25 cm in diameter, and can remain on the tree for as long as three years post-pollination.
About the genus
Araucaria comprises evergreen trees native to the Southern Hemisphere. These trees feature whorled branching and leaves that can be needle-like, triangular, or scale-like in appearance. They produce small male cones and larger female cones, typically found on different specimens.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Conifers, Trees
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- Higher than 12 metres
- Spread
- wider than 8 metres
- Time to full height
- 20-50 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural
- Native to
- Brazil & Argentina
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well drained soil; prefers a slightly acidic soil
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1; little or no pruning is required, as this can permanently spoil the shape of the tree
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in seedbed as soon as ripe; take semi-ripe cuttings of vertical shoot tips in midsummer and root in a cold frame, cuttings of horizontal side branches will not form an upright tree
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus