I have long felt confused by Araucaria columnaris and Araucaria heterophylla. Allertonia Volume 10 October 2010 Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Pohnpei, National Tropical Botanic Garden lists the trees on island as Araucaria columnaris. Jimmy Hyane, who worked for agriculture back in the day, says they are Araucaria heterophylla. I am now fully convinced that the tree here are A. columnaris - the Cook island pine species. The page The Araucaria Family: Past and Present has convinced me of this. Note that there is a sign in the local botanic garden that refers to the trees as Araucaria heterophylla, adding to the confusion. There is no record of who made that label nor what the label was based upon.

Posted on May 8, 2019 05:26 AM by danaleeling