Araucaria hunsteinii

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinki, Klinkii or "Klinky", native names Rassu and Pai)^{[citation needed]} is a species of Araucaria native to the mountains of Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Araucaria hunsteinii
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (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. Intermedia
Species:	A. hunsteinii
Binomial name
Araucaria hunsteinii K.Schum.

Description

It is a very large evergreen tree (the tallest in New Guinea, and the tallest species in its family), growing to 50–80 metres (164–262 ft) tall, exceptionally to 90 m (295 ft), with a trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) diameter. The branches are horizontal, produced in whorls of five or six. The leaves are spirally arranged, scale-like or awl-like, 6–12 centimetres (2–5 in) long and 1.5–2 cm (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) broad at the base, with a sharp tip; leaves on young trees are shorter (under 9 cm or 4 in) and narrower (under 1.5 cm or 5⁄8 in). It is usually monoecious with male and female cones on the same tree; the pollen cones are long and slender, up to 20 cm (8 in) long and 1 cm (3⁄8 in) broad; the seed cones are oval, up to 25 cm (10 in) long and 14–16 cm (5+1⁄2–6+1⁄4 in) broad. The seed cones disintegrate at maturity to release the numerous 3–4 cm (1–1+1⁄2 in) long nut-like seeds.

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  Mature leaf detail
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  Mature trunk detail
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  A. hunsteinii var. klinky specimen

Cultivation and uses

It is a fast-growing tree, and is being tested as a potentially important timber crop in tropical highland climates.

Pests

Barinae spp.,^{[Gray 1]} Setomorpha rutella,^{[Gray 2]} Microlepidopteras,^{[Gres. 1]} Cacatua galerita (the Sulphur-crested cockatoo) are pests of pine nut production in A. hunsteinii. C. galerita may cause half of the seed crop to be lost in a year, mostly by trying to eat cones that are not yet ready.^{[Gres. 2]} Another source describes A. hunsteinii as suffering few pests in plantations and therefore substituting A. cunninghamii in plantations with more pests.^[2]