araucaria heterophylla

The Norfolk Island pine is familiar to most as the cute little living table-top Christmas tree that is sold already bedecked with bows and bulbs. In addition to this holiday market, larger specimens are sold as "houseplants" in discount stores and nurseries. In its native land, however, this delicate little plant is a forest giant that can reach heights of 200 ft (61 m). Growing very upright (occasionally with a graceful lean), the tree forms a very symmetrical pyramid, with branches emerging from the trunk in a regular and precise pattern. In Florida most specimens are less than 50 ft (15.2 m) tall as they are the among the first to be blown away in a hurricane. In California you often see taller specimens, to about 100 ft (30.5 m). But you are unlikely to see any approaching the heights achieved in their native habitat.Not actually a pine, this plant is a member of the Araucariaceae family that includes several other trees of ornamental interest including the bunya-bunya tree ( and the monkey puzzle tree (). This plant is often incorrectly identified as A. excelsa, especially in older references. Adding to the confusion is that some of the plants sold on the market are actually A. columnaris which looks almost identical to A. heterophylla when young but older plants tend to have branches closer together and darker foliage.The male cones are cylindrical, 1-3 in (2.5-7.6 cm) long; the seeds are formed inside 3-5 in (7.6-12.7 cm), roughly spherical female cones. The foliage is soft looking and light green. Leaves on young trees are narrowly wedge-shaped, about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long; on mature trees the leaves are scalelike and overlapping, about o.25 in (0.6 cm) long.