AR'AUCA'RIA (from Araucania, a territory in the south of Chile). A genus of plants of the natural order Coniferfe or pines, consisting of lofty trees, natives of South America and Aus tralasia. The species, of which there are fifteen, are all evergreen. The leaves are broader than those of pines and firs, which, however, the trees resemble in their general manner of growth. Ar aucaria iwbricata, sometimes called the Chile Pine, a native of the Andes of Chile, form ing forests on their western declivities, attains a height of 150 feet. Its trunk is quite straight and free from knots. The bark of the young trees is studded with leaves from the base upward, even until the tree is 12 or 15 years of age. The branches are in whorls of five to eight. Young trees have branches almost from the ground ; old trees have tall naked stems, with a crown of branches. The female strobile (cone) is roundish ovate, six to eight inches in diameter, with scales terminated by a long awl-shaped point, and seeds wedge-shaped and more than an inch in length. The outer and inner bark of full-grown trees are each four to six inches in thickness. From both outer and inner hark, and indeed from all parts of the tree, resin flows readily and in great abun dance. The leaves are lanceolate. about an inch in length, and half an inch in breadth near the base, sharp-pointed. The timber is heavy, solid, hard, fibrous, yellowish white, and beautifully veined. It is suitable for masts of ships. The resin, which is white, has a smell like frankincense, and a not unpleasant taste. The seed is pleasant to the taste, not unlike the chestnut, and is a most important article of food among the natives. It is eaten raw, boiled, or roasted. A spirituous liquor is distilled from it. A single strobile sometimes contains between 200 and 300 seeds, and one tree may be seen loaded with 20 or 30 of these great strobiles. This Araucaria was introduced into Great Britain at the end of the Eighteenth Century. and is now pretty frequently planted. Araucaria Brasiliana, the
Brazil Pine, has loosely imbricated lanceolate leaves, and a looser and more spreading habit than Araucaria imbrieata. The seeds or ants are sold as all article of food in Rio Janeiro. The resin which exudes from the tree is mixed with wax to make candles. Araucaria excelsa, the Norfolk Island Pine. a native of Norfolk Island, New Caledonia, etc.. attains a height of 160 to 220 feet, free from branches to 80 to 100 feet, with a trunk sometimes II feet in diameter. The wood is white, tough, elose-grained, and so heavy as almost to sink in water. The leaves of the young trees are linear and spreading; those of the adult are ovate, and closely imbri cated. The cones are four to five inches in diameter. Araucania eunninghamii, nearly globular, the Aloreton Bay Pine, a native of the shores of Moreton Bay and banks of the Brisbane River in New South Wales, very much resembles the last. It attains a height of 150 to 200 feet, and a diameter of three to six feet. The leaves of the adult trees are lanceolate and im bricated. The wood is yellowish, and is used for boat-building, house-carpentry, and the common kinds of furniture. Araucania the Bnnya Bunya, is an important tree of Queens land, where it attains a height of 100 to 150 feet and a diameter of three to four feet. The timber is not quite so valuable as that of the 'Moreton Bay Pine. The seeds, of which there is said to be an abundance every three years, are as much as two inches long and three-quarters of an inch broad, and are much used for food by the aborigines. An important resin is obtained from this tree.
There are a number of species and varieties grown in greenhouses•in the United States, where they are prized for their graceful appearance. This is especially true of Araucaria exeelsa. The species do not flourish in the open, except in the southern States. Nearly all the leading species are successfully grown as ornamentals in Cali fornia.