Araucariaceae
Araucariaceae Henkel & W.Hochst., Syn. Nadelholz. XVII. 1. 1865. nom. cons.
Characteristic Features:
Members monoecious or dioecious, large, evergreen trees with small branched shedding along with leaves.
Leaves small, needle like to broad lanceolate.
Male cones small, cylindrical with numerous microsporiphylls, each microsporophyll with many microsporangia.
Pollen grains without ari bladders.
Female cones larger, often globose, solitary, perennial, with numerous megasporophylls, each megasporophyll carrying solitary ovule in axil.
Diversity
World: 3 genera, 37 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 3 genera, 32 species (Mabberley 2017); 3 genera, 38 species (POWO 2021); 3 genera, 37 species (Roskov et al. 2021); 3 genera, 41 species (The Gymnosperm Database)
India: 2 genera, 6 species (Singh & Srivastava 2013); 2 genera, 6 species (BSI, 2021)
Uttarakhand: 3 genera, 8 species (Uniyal et al. 2007); 4 genera, 23 species (Tewari et al. 2010). All cultivated species.
Systematic Position of the Family in Different Systems of Classification
Sporne (1974)
Gymnosperms
Class- Coniferopsida
Order- Coniferales
Family- Araucariaceae
Cantino et al. (2007)
[Phylogenetic and Rankless classification]
Tracheophyta
Euphylophyta
Lignophyta
Apo-Spermatophyta
Spermatophyta
Acrogymnospermae
Coniferae
Cupressophyta
Araucariaceae
Christenhusz et al. (2011)
Class- Equisetopsida
Subclass-Pinidae
Order- Araucariales
Family- Araucariaceae
Mabberley (2017)
Gymnosperms
Subclass- Pinidae
Order- Pinales
Family- Araucariaceae
Simpson (2019)
[Phylogenetic and Rankless classification]
Gymnospermae (Acrogymnospermae)
Coniferae
Cupressopsida
Araucariaceae
The Gymnosperm Database (Earle 1997-2021)
Gymnosperms
Subclass- Pinidae
Order- Araucariales
Family- Araucariaceae
Systematic Position in 2-Super kingdom 7-Kingdom Classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)
Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Gymnospermae, Class- Pinopsida, Subclass- Pinidae, Order- Pinales
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Araucaria columnaris Hook.
Vernacular name: Christmas tree plant, Cook Pine
Nativity: New Caledonia (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Conical evergreen tree. Bark gray brown, papery with exfoliate scales. Juvenile leaves needle-like, lanceolate, adult leaves scale-like, imbricate, triangular, acuminate.
Flowering period: Not seen in Pantnagar
Propagation Methods: Multiplied by seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ CAg