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Project Noah Nature School
Araucaria columnaris
(A) Similar species is frequently seen in highland areas. But Araucaria sp. is also often planted in towns due to its attractive shape. Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana and the "Near Threatened" Araucaria hunsteinii occur naturally in New Guinea (although the latter is restricted to PNG http://www.conifers.org/ar/i/ar-hun01.gi... ). The species of the planted trees in this spotting are said to not look like Araucaria cunninghamii (see comments) nor do they closely resemble images of the Araucaria hunsteinii. The shape looks closer to images of Araucaria columnaris I've seen, and as supported in the comments and suggestion. It is also known as the Cook pine and the New Caledonian pine.
Planted as ornamental trees on a school campus which is nestled in the lower foothills of the Cyclops mountains. The campus is surrounded by villages, gardens and disturbed forest.
"Araucaria columnaris is among the most common Araucarias planted as an ornamental tree and street tree in warm temperate climates." See also http://www.evergreenspecies.com/2009/04/...
Agree with C. Daehler's comment; worth adding that Coral Reef Araucaria is by far the most widely cultivated Araucaria in tropical regions (though often misidentified / mislabelled as A. heterophylla).
They are definitely Araucaria and they look like planted specimens of Araucaria columnaris. This tree is native to the Pacific. In Indonesia there is another Araucaria that grows naturally in the mountains (Araucaria cunninghamii) but this is not the one in these photos.
Spotted on Dec 12, 2012
Submitted on Dec 18, 2012
