I pass this tree almost daily, but I can't seem to figure out exactly what it is. I strongly suspect it is an Araucaria because of its resemblance to A. arucana, but to be honest I've been surprised before when it comes to figuring out which genus a tree belongs to. The reason I'm interested is because it is an unique tree and would go nicely in my large backyard where it would have room to mature and contrast with the other confiers. I live in Langley BC Canada. There are plenty of very pretty examples of A. arucana that seem to thrive out where I live, but for me they are too much of a coat rack and regular habit in appearance (especially when only a few years old) (A. arucana in the wild in groves in Chile looks attractive though). I'm looking for something similar that will grow well in our climate and have a more wild, natural tree habit. I'm hoping some of the UBC locals on this board will know exactly what it is. It is located on Lower Mall by the new student residences (there is actually a nice collection of conifers all along Lower Mall). It seems to be doing well. And any ideas on where to get unique conifers would also be appreciated! I troll Cedar Rim near where I live frequently but they're usually pretty much stock stuff from Monrovia, etc. Thanks!
Araucaria produce erect, barrel-like seed cones. You will see smaller, hanging lantern-like cones on this one.
Excellent, thank you! (and apologies for my spelling mistake of A. araucana). I am still learning a lot about confiers and their key features to find the right families and then drill down from there. C. lanceolata (Chinafir) shouldn't be too difficult to obtain or grow here I think.
