Araucaria heterophylla

Norfolk pine (Araucaria heterophylla ), Norfolk Island.

The Araucaria (Araucaria heterophylla ), also called Norfolk pine, is a species of the genus Araucaria (Araucaria ) in the family (Araucariaceae ).

• 5.1 Notes and references

Occurrence

The Norfolk pine is native to low altitudes on Norfolk Island. In suitable climates (year-round frost-free with very moderate summer temperatures), the Norfolk pine is planted in public parks or large gardens.

Description

The Norfolk pine grows with conical shape than evergreen tree that reaches the plant height of 50 to 70 meters and trunk diameter of 1.25 to 1.75 meters. As a houseplant, the Araucaria remains small. The gray - brown bark falls off in fine scales. On the more or less horizontal to sometimes hanging branches, the branches are at fourth to seventh in regular whorls. Even the epithet heterophylla ( for different foliated ) reveals that in this type occur more leaf types. At young plant parts, the leaves are soft, needle- shaped, 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, curved and pointed. On older plant parts, the leaves are scale-like, 4-5 mm long, recurved, bright dark green and do not overlap. Overlap broadly ovate, 6 mm long and 4-6 mm broad leaves on the areas with cones and have a stachelspitziges end.

Araucauria heterophylla is monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ). The several standing together, male cones are oblong, about 4 cm long and yellowish- brown to reddish. The pointed Mikrosporophylle have a toothed, ciliated border. The female cones are wider than long with a length of 12 to 18 cm and have triangular scales and long curved bracts. The seeds have a length of 2.5 to 3 cm and a diameter of about 1.2 cm wide wings. There are four cotyledons ( cotyledons ) are present.

The Araucaria as a houseplant

The Zimmertanne was formerly a popular house plant in cool, only temporarily heated rooms; the dryness and heat through ( Central ) heated rooms difficult today the attitude of Araucaria. You need to a fruitful a cool, bright position. In summer, they should be bright, but should not be exposed to direct sunlight; the temperature should not exceed 18 degrees Celsius. In winter, the Araucaria requires a bright, cool between five and ten degrees Celsius room. In the summer they can on a bright, sun- protected outdoor space, be kept in a very bright room right by the window or the conservatory, but it does not tolerate midday sun.

Propagation

The Araucaria can be propagated by cuttings head, but this is difficult. In horticulture the propagation from seed or in the laboratory by Meristemvermehrung done.

System

The first description of this type carried out in 1807 as Eutassa heterophylla by Richard Anthony Salisbury in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 8, pp. 316-317. The publication of the species name Araucaria heterophylla was made in 1952 by João Manuel Antonio Paes do Amaral Franco in Anais. Instituto Superior de Agronomy, 19, pp. 11-12. Araucaria heterophylla synonyms for ( Salisb. ) Franco are: Araucaria excelsa R.Br. ex Aiton, Dombeya excelsa D.Don, Eutassa heterophylla Salis ..

Araucauria heterophylla belongs to the section Eutacta in the genus Araucauria.

Swell

• Christopher J. Earle: Information about Araucauria heterophylla at The Gymnosperm Database, 2010 (Section Description and systematics).
• Liguo Fu, Nan Li & Robert R. Mill: Araucariaceae in the Flora of China, Volume 4, page 9: Araucauria heterophylla - Online.