PINACE^ 153 



Wood creamy-white, easily worked, straight-grained, and 

 suitable for the same purposes as the wood of A. Cunning- 

 hamii, which see. Owing to the food value of the seeds, the 

 wood is not cut so extensively as it would otherwise be. The 

 aborigines depend largely upon the nuts for food, and, when 

 ripe, they travel long distances to the groves or forests for the 

 purpose of collecting and feeding upon the nuts. To protect 

 the trees for the natives, the Government has placed restrictions 

 upon felling, and a tract of hilly country, eighty miles long and 

 forty miles wide, where the trees are plentiful, has been reserved 

 for the natives, who apportion the trees amongst themselves. 

 Each tribe has its own trees, which are again divided amongst 

 families, the trees being thus handed down from generation to 

 generation. Ripe seeds are produced each year, but a full crop 

 is only obtained every third year. The seeds are said to be 

 very fattening. 



As a cultivated tree in tropical and sub -tropical countries, 

 A. BidwilUi has given excellent results, but it has been planted 

 chiefly for decorative purposes. It should, however, be grown 

 under forest conditions in countries where soft-woods are in 

 demand and the true pines do not thrive, for it is of rapid growth 

 and docs not appear to be seriously injured by insect pests. 

 Moist but well drained loamy soil suits it. In Australia there 

 is reason for its extended cultivation. Two fine specimens, each 

 50 or more ft. high, from which the heads have been removed 

 on several occasions, have been growing in the Temperate House 

 at Kew for 60 or more years. One of them has occasionally pro- 

 duced cones since 1873, but the seeds are not fertile. 



Baker and Smith, The Pines of Australia, pp. 360-370 (1910) ; W. J. Hooker, 

 Lond. Journ. Bot., t. xviii. 



Araucaria brasiliana, Richard. 

 Candelabra Tree. 



Araucaria brasiliensis, Loudon. Parana ; Pine ; Parana Wood. 



A tree 100 or more ft. high with a tall, straight trunk termin- 

 ated by a flat head of gaunt, horizontal branches with the 

 branchlets in terminal tufts. Branches usually arranged in whorls 

 of 4-8. Leaves green or glaucous, lance-shaped, on sterile 

 branches 1 j-2| in. long and up to \ in. wide, sometimes appearing 

 as if in pairs, on fertile branches shorter, more densely and 

 spirally arranged, in each case long-pointed, stiff, leathery, 

 with stomata well developed on the under- surface. Male 

 catkins dense, 3-4 in. long, -|-f in. wide from the leaf axils of 

 short shoots. Cones broader than long, 5 in. high and 6| in. in 

 diameter, narrowed from the middle upwards ; scales terminated 



