Araucaria bidwillii (Bunya-bunya)

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Araucaria bidwillii (Molina) K. Koch

Bunya-bunya, bunya-bunya pine

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Coniferophyta	Conifers—cone-bearing trees (and a few shrubs)
Class	Pinopsida	Gymnosperms such as cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews
Order	Pinales	Cone-bearing plants: cedar, cypress, fir, juniper, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, yew, and others
Family	Araucariaceae	Araucarian family
Genus	Araucaria	Named for the South Chilean province of Arauco
Species	bidwillii

About plant names...

The bunya pine, native to Queensland, Australia, is not found in the wild in North America. It is not actually a pine at all, though the mistake is a natural one, given its appearance and its cone-like nuts.

Identification: Trees are 98-148′ (30-45 m) high, and can reach 500 years in age. If you are in the Bunya Mountains, or the Jimna area, or Mount Lewis (all in Australia), look for tall trees with rounded tops (younger trees are more pyramidal in shape). Bark is dark brown or black, with scales that are about ⅞″ (2.5 cm) wide and 3″ (7.5 cm) long. The trunk resembles that of an elephant. Younger trees have glossy, stiff, light green leaves, ⅞-1¾″ (2.5-5 cm) long, with sharp points. Older trees have leaves that are darker, arrayed evenly about the small branches, ¼-1″ (7-28 mm) long.

The conelike nuts were a significant food source for indigenous Australians. Photo by Dgies.

Edibility: Roasted and boiled, the nuts were important to Australian natives. Paste made by grinding the nuts could be eaten as is or cooked into a bread. Nuts stored in a running creek fermented, producing a delicacy. More recently, enthusiasts have created many interesting preparations of this "bushfood," which tastes like a cross between chestnuts and potatoes.

Online References:

Wikipedia

The Gymnosperm Database

Floridata.com

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The University of Florida Environmental Horticulture site

2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California ID is uncertain

Araucaria bidwillii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)

2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California

4/6/2011 · Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory & Botanic Gardens, Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland

Range: Zones 8b-11:

About this map...