Araucaria heterophylla

Araucaria heterophylla
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Gymnospermae
Division:	Pinophyta
Class:	Pinopsida
Order:	Araucariales
Family:	Araucariaceae
Genus:	Araucaria
Section:	A. sect. Eutacta
Species:	A. heterophylla
Binomial name
Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco
Synonyms
Araucaria excelsa var. glauca Carrière Eutacta excelsa var. aurea-variegata Carrière Eutacta excelsa var. glauca (Carrière) Carrière Eutacta excelsa var. monstrosa Carrière Eutacta excelsa var. variegata-alba Carrière Eutassa heterophylla Salisb.

Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A. excelsa) is a species of conifer. As its vernacular name Norfolk Island pine (or Norfolk pine) implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia. It is not a true pine, which belong to the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae, but instead is a member of the genus Araucaria in the family Araucariaceae, which also contains the hoop pine. Members of Araucaria occur across the South Pacific, especially concentrated in New Caledonia (about 700 km or 430 mi due north of Norfolk Island), where 13 closely related species of similar appearance are found. It is sometimes called a star pine, Polynesian pine, triangle tree or living Christmas tree, due to its symmetrical shape as a sapling.