Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk pine)

Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco

Norfolk pine, Norfolk Island pine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Coniferophyta	Conifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs)
Class	Pinopsida	Gymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews
Order	Pinales	Cone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others
Family	Araucariaceae	Araucarian family
Genus	Araucaria	Named for the South Chilean province of Arauco
Species	heterophylla	Means that the leaves are different on the same plant

About plant names...

Norfolk Island Pine isn’t a pine, but it is from Norfolk Island, and nowhere else. Norfolk Island is between Australia and New Zealand. They are popular as house plants in America.

Identification: In natural settings, trees reach 164-213' (50-65 m), with a neat conical Christmas-tree shape. Leaves are needle-shaped, sharp-tipped but soft to the touch, almost like moss. Each needle is ⅜-½" (1-1.5 cm) in length and about ¹/₃₂" (1 mm) around. On older trees, the needles reach up to ⅜" (1 cm) and up to ⅛" (4 mm) around. The thickest leaves are at the top, along with the cones. Cones are cylindrical, 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Female cones are spherical in shape, and 3-5" (7.6-12 cm) around. See also the similar-appearing monkey-puzzle tree and New Caledonia pine.

Immature seed cones. By tree-species@flickr.

Online References:

Araucaria heterophylla on floridata.com

Araucaria heterophylla on The Gymnosperm Database

Araucaria heterophylla on Wikipedia

Araucaria heterophylla at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Araucaria heterophylla at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Araucaria heterophylla on Wikimedia Commons

Araucaria heterophylla at the University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities

Araucaria heterophylla at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (PDF)

Araucaria heterophylla on eFloras

Araucaria heterophylla description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

8/29/2010 · Joy and Jim’s, Mansfield, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

1/24/2021 · Joy and Jim's, Mansfield, Massachusetts

4/9/2015 · MacDonald‘s, Marco Island, Florida

Range: Zones 10-11:

About this map...