Araucaria heterophylla
A native Norfolk Island pyramidal evergreen conifer, widely grown indoors as a houseplant with tiered branches and soft, needle-like leaves; slow-growing, easy to care for, adapts well to indoor life, tolerates relatively low light, and requires minimal maintenance.
Common Names
Norfolk Island Pine, House Pine, Australian Pine, Arukaria, Star Pine
Summary
Araucaria heterophylla, the Norfolk Island pine, is an evergreen conifer native to Norfolk Island in the South Pacific. It forms a straight upright trunk with a pyramidal to conical crown and whorled, horizontal branches; juvenile foliage is needle-like while mature foliage becomes scale-like and densely arranged, giving a soft green silhouette. It is dioecious, with small male cones and larger female cones, and in its natural range can reach 60–80 meters tall, though cultivated specimens are much smaller. For cultivation, outdoors it prefers full sun to semi-shade in warm climates on well-drained soil and can tolerate windy and coastal conditions; it is commonly grown as an ornamental specimen or lawn tree and also kept as a houseplant in cooler regions. Indoors it requires bright indirect light, regular watering to keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, and higher humidity; propagation is by seed or cuttings, with pruning kept minimal to maintain a central leader. In USDA zones 10–11 outdoor growth is possible year-round; otherwise growth is confined to containers or indoors, and it is sometimes used as a Christmas tree.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
96-120 inches
Spread
144-300 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 10-11
Sunlight Requirements
Ideal sunlight for Araucaria heterophylla is Full Sun; indoors prefer Partial Sun (bright indirect light); outdoors range is Full Sun to Partial Shade, with afternoon shade in hot climates.
Soil Type
Well-drained, porous soil such as loam or sandy loam that does not waterlog.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
Insignificant
Bloom Time
No blooming season
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen needle
Growth Rate
15–30 cm (6–12 inches) per year; slow-growing
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
No attraction for bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, or birds.
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Franco) Franco
- Publication
- Anais Inst. Super. Agron. 19: 11. (1952)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Pinophyta
- Class
- Pinopsida
- Subclass
- Cupressidae
- Order
- Araucariales
- Family
- Araucariaceae
- Genus
- Araucaria
Synonyms
Araucaria excelsa var. glauca Eutacta excelsa var. glauca Eutacta excelsa var. monstrosa Eutacta excelsa var. variegata-alba Eutacta excelsa var. aurea-variegata Pinus columbaria Abies columbaria Eutassa heterophylla