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Family: Araucariaceae
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants)
> Gymnospermae >
Coniferophyta
Three genera (Wollemia, Agathis
and Araucaria) and 41 living species,
distributed in the Southern Hemisphere but not native to Africa. Fossils
have been found dating back to the Jurassic and the family was once more
widespread, occurring in both hemispheres. [Is there any fossil material from
Africa?]. Species of Agathis and Araucaria are cultivated in urban
areas of southern Africa as garden and roadside trees. The genus Wollemia
contains a single species Wollemia nobilis, which is considered the most
basal species in the Araucariaceae family tree and which, amazingly, was
discovered as recently as 1994 in New South Wales, Australia. As far as is
known, it has not yet been cultivated in southern Africa.
Genera cultivated in southern Africa
Information from Glen (2002)
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Agathis
(kauri genus)
The 21 species in this genus of
coniferous trees have an indigenous distribution
covering Australia (Queensland), New Zealand and SE
Asia, where they are found mainly in rainforest. Six
species have been cultivated in southern Africa. |
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Araucaria
(Monkey puzzle genus)
A genus of coniferous tree
with 19 living species of which 13 are endemic to the island of New Caledonia.
The remaining species are native to Australia, New Guinea, Chile, Argentina
and southern Brazil. A number of species have been cultivated as garden trees
round the world of which seven have been grown in southern Africa. |
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