420 The Genus Araucaria. 



duced in that colony was in 1857, when the trees at Ash Island, 

 Hunter's River, bore female cones. The seeds, upon ripening, 

 scattered themselves, taking root and producing young plants 

 spontaneously, thus naturalizing the plant as it were. 



A. excelsa is of all the species the most majestic, and the 

 places of its growth perhaps the most picturesque. It loves 

 the mountain side, the overhanging precipice, the storm-torn 

 rocks ; among these it firmly anchors itself with its twisting 

 roots. These roots descend many feet into the ground and 

 penetrate into every lateral crevice. They form wood of some 

 thickness and of great density, of a deep red colour, from 

 which the inhabitants make small articles of utility or orna- 

 ment, such as candlesticks and the like. From the tremendous 

 storms with which Norfolk Island is occasionally visited, the 

 Araucarias suffer considerably, but chiefly in their uppermost 

 brauch.es ; in the valleys where they are more sheltered, there- 

 fore, the best formed and most symmetrical trees are to be found. 

 They do not grow in very dense forests, other and smaller trees 

 coming in and filling up the spaces between them, thus tending 

 to give the forests a very ornamental appearance. The wood is 

 free from any resin, but a sort of white milky juice exudes from 

 the bark : this has been tried for various purposes as a substi- 

 tute for pitch, but found to be useless. A former governor 

 (Governor King) of Norfolk Island was so partial to this tree 

 that he adopted it as his family crest. Another species of this 

 group, and nearly allied to A. excelsa, is A. Cunnwghami. This, 

 which is called the Moreton Bay pine, was named by Aiton in 

 honour of the indefatigable botanist and explorer Allan Cun- 

 ningham. It is found on the shores of Moreton Bay, in lat. 

 14° to 29° south, and on the alluvial banks of the Brisbane 

 River, lat. 27° to 30° south. It grows, however, in the greatest 

 profusion in the brush forests, on the Richmond River. The 

 trees seem to thrive best near the coast, attaining in such a 

 situation their greatest height, often from 100 to 130 feet, but 

 gradually diminishing in height the farther the trees are inland. 

 It would appear from this that the sea air has a great effect 

 upon it. Other large trees of different genera are found 

 growing amongst the Araucarias in dense woods. The Moreton 

 Bay pine was discovered in 1770, by Sir Joseph Banks and 

 Dr. Solander, and the first living plant did not arrive at Kew 

 till 1824. 



From the time of the discovery of A. columnaris in 1774 

 up to J 824, the two trees were considered to be the same 

 species, but in the latter year Mr. Allan Cunningham revisited 

 Moreton Bay in company with Mr. Oxley, and, after a careful 

 examination, came to the conclusion that A. Cunninghami 

 <c was a very distinct species, not simply in its habit of growth, 



