Araucaria biramulata

Araucaria biramulata is a plant of the genus Araucaria (Araucaria ). It is an endemic species of the western part of the island belonging to New Caledonia Grande Terre.

Description

Araucaria biramulata grows as columnar, evergreen tree that can reach heights of growth of up to 30 meters. The gray bark peels off in thin strips. The branches branch out at the top. Annual branches are 0.8 to 1.3 inches thick.

In young specimens the leaves are needle-like, curved at the edges inward and have a sharply pointed upper end. On older trees the scale-like leaves are ovate - keeled with a eingekrümmmten upper end and a prominent midrib at a length of 7 to 9 mm and a width of 5 to 6 mm. Can be found both on the top sheet side and on the underside Stomataöffnungen

The male cones are cylindrically shaped with a length of 6-7 cm and a diameter of 1.5 to 2 centimeters. They contain triangular Mikrosporophylle with seven to eight pollen sacs. The female pins have a length of 9-10 cm and a diameter of 8 to 9 cm. The triangular with a length of about 3 inches seed has an egg-shaped wings.

Occurrence

The natural range of Araucaria biramulata lies in the west of the island belonging to New Caledonia Grande Terre. The majority of the stock is in the southwest of the island before during two isolated populations are known from the northwest.

Araucaria biramulata thrives at altitudes 190-1150 m. The annual rainfall varies depending on the site between 1500 and 3000 mm. They settled mostly dense, moist evergreen forests. It only grows on soils that develop on ultrabasic rocks.

System

Araucaria biramulata belongs to the section Eutacta within the genus Araucaria (Araucaria ). The first description was in 1949 as Araucaria biramulata by John Theodore Buchholz in Bulletin du Muséum d' Histoire Naturelle, Ser. 2, 21, p 279

Threats and conservation

Araucaria biramulata is in the IUCN Red List as "vulnerable" out. The total population is estimated at below 10,000 mature trees where none of the known stocks of more than 1000 trees there. As one of the main reasons hazard in the northern distribution area of ​​the mine construction, and the associated activities such as road construction and overburden storage is called. Forest fires, especially in the southern part of the range is a threat because they endanger the taper.

Swell

• Template: Internet resource / maintenance / access date not in ISO format Christopher J. Earle: Araucaria biramulata. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, accessed on 30 May 2011 (English).