Mystery Tree

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by want2garden, Apr 13, 2009.

  1. want2garden

    want2garden Member

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    Tampa, Florida, USA
    Hello,

    I've been searching around online and can't seem to find the name of this tree and it's driving me crazy! I found it in my yard (I just moved here) and I decidedly love it and would like to move it from the painfully small pot it's in but I want to first know what it is so I can find out if it's native to my area (Florida). I know I have seen it 100 times but I can't put my finger on the name. Please help!

    Also, would anyone have any tips on transplanting such a large tree? Is there anything special I need to know? Thank you!

    -Aerica
     

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  2. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Compare with Araucaria heterophylla, Norfolk Island Pine.
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Either that or the very similar Araucaria columnaris. That specimen doesn't look at all happy, very spindly due to being in heavy shade and/or too small a pot. It is unlikely to recover well if planted out - as it is an easy plant to get, I'd get a new small and healthy plant instead.

    One other potential problem - Tampa is at about the northern limit of where these two species are hardy. A cold snap (the sort that damages orange orchards) could damage it. And frost-damaged Araucaria often end up developing forked trunks which then split in hurricanes (single-stem trees are very windfirm, though).
     
  4. want2garden

    want2garden Member

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    Thank you both for the quick responses!
    I was hoping to be able to nurse it back to health. It has been neglected for probably 6 months or more and all of the plants in the yard (except the ferns) seem to be either dead or dying.
     
  5. abraham baba

    abraham baba Member

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    It is the Norfolk Pine.. Araucaria Heterophylla (synonym A. excelsa) is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae.
    As its vernacular name Norfolk Island Pine implies, the tree is endemic to Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus Araucaria occurs across the South Pacific, especially concentrated in New Caledonia (about 700 km due north of Norfolk Island) where 13 closely related and similar-appearing species are found. It is sometimes called a 'star pine', due to its symmetrical shape as a sapling, although it is not a true pine. Some people may develop a rash or allergic reaction upon touching the leaves.



    Reagrds, Abe-Canada

    Cheers
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 3, 2020

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