Family ARAUCARIACEAE
Description: Trees.
Leaves needle-like or flat, ovate to lanceolate, spirally arranged; usually dioecious.
Cones with spirally arranged scales. Male sporophylls or cone scales with many sporangia. Female cone scales numerous, the bracts large and woody, fused to the scales. Ovule 1 to each cone scale, centrally placed, inverted.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 3 genera, 32 species, mainly Southern Hemisphere except Africa. Australia: 3 genera, 6 species, Qld, N.S.W.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Araucariaceae, Order: Pinales)
Wikipedia
Text by G. J. Harden
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Seeds free from cone scales, winged; leaves obtuse or acute; confined to Wollemi N.P. (CT) | Wollemia |
| Seeds united with or enclosed by cone scales, not winged; leaves acute; widespread in warmer rainforest, north from Nambucca R. (NC) | Araucaria |
|
