Hi, I live in Maui and I'm currently trying to teach myself about some of our local flora (endemic & introduced). Anyway, I came across this lonely critter in I'ao Valley, and was wanting help identifying it. After searching the net, I came up with Araucaria angustifolia as the best match. Any help, please? Mahalo & Aloha.
Ron, thanks for the reply and the suggestion. I looked up images of A. cunninghamii, and I'm pretty sure that's not my loner in I'ao Valley. The "leaves" are approximately 18"-24" long (if memory serves), and are always clustered in pompom fashion. Also the only branches were at the crown. I looked up images of A. bidwillii, and that seems like a likely choice except for the arrangement of leaf bearing limbs. Unfortunately my specimen is pretty crowded and fairly beat up, and I'm sure that will hamper identification. For years I've walked under the thing only looking at it casually and assuming it was a battered Cook Pine. It wasn't until a few days ago when I wanted to show it to a friend that I realized that it was something else entirely! Anyway, on my next trip I'll see if I can't find anything else to better identify it. Aloha.
It looks alot like araucaria bidwillii (Bunya Bunya pine) native to Australia (I have one in my front yard). Found a reference to a couple of isolated trees in Maui....forums.permaculture.org.au/showthread.php?...Bunya-Bunya-Pine/. Hope this helps.
