Roger’s Tree Pick for December: star pine

Courtesy photo.

Star pines line this roadway on the island of Maui.

Courtesy photo.

This monkey-puzzle tree is located in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens in Scotland.

Courtesy photo.

This star pine is growing in Fallbrook.

Roger Boddaert

Special to the Village News

Thursday, December 13^th, 2007.
Issue 50, Volume 11.

’Tis the season to be treeing, says I.

The holidays are here and the trees that adorn our homes bring a bit of nature inside to create a festive theme and seasonal spirit.

This month I have chosen the Araucaria species, which come from two opposite parts of the world.

The Araucaria genus can be traced back to the age of the dinosaurs. Fossil evidence indicates that the genus reached its maximum diversity some 65 million years ago during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

At that time, the Araucaria genus occurred in both the northern and southern hemispheres and it wasn’t until the continents drifted and the southern super-continent known as Gondwanaland was formed that Araucaria become solely confined to the southern hemisphere.

These striking trees come from exotic places like the high mountains of Chile, Norfolk Island, New Caledonia and the Queensland coast of Australia.

The Araucaria family consists of a dozen or so species. Some of the most notable are detailed below.

Araucaria excelsa (heterophylla)

Also known as "star pine," Araucaria excelsa is grown throughout the coastal region, where it is warm and relatively frost-free.

This tree has a very pyramidal shape and is very distinctive on the horizon as it becomes a fairly large specimen in the garden, so give it room to grow and spread.

The star pine is sold at this time of year at various garden shops, nurseries and high-end florists and is gaining in popularity year by year. They are also grown in Hawaii as a cut tree for the holidays.

It can be used as a living Christmas tree inside and will grow for a number of years within interiors of the home until it tops the ceiling.

Outside in the garden they can obtain heights of 70-plus feet with spreads exceeding 20 to 30 feet across at the base of the lower branches.

Some of the trees are relatively dense while others have a very open and airy look between their long-armed branches. Some have been recently planted along the I-5 corridor from Encinitas down to La Jolla and are stunning.

The foliage on this species of Araucaria is very soft with whorled micro-needles on the individual leaves of the long branches.

I have grown the star pine out in my botanical garden for some years now and it is a very stately and unique type of tree. I planted them more than 20 years ago and they stand about 25 feet now.

Araucaria bidwillii (bunya)

The bunya pine is a real novelty tree for the collector, large garden, botanical setting or open parklands.

The shape of this mature specimen is pyramidal and is densely clothed with flat, sharp-pointed, glossy dark-green leaves. It can reach even greater heights and size than the star pine.

The fruits (seed pods) of this species are reported to weigh up to 25 pounds each and can be hazardous to your health when out in a bunya-bunya forest.

When these trees come into their huge seed pod stage, the native forests are closed to hikers due to the dangers of falling seed missiles from above. So when you visit the Bunya Mountains of Southern Queensland, take heed of "Warning: bunya-bunya seed pod dropping zone" signs.

Araucaria araucana

Araucaria araucana – the monkey-puzzle tree – is from high in the Andes of Chile and southwestern Argentina.

One of the world’s real curiosity trees Advertisement
Embedded Ad for its shape, conformation and whorled branching structure, it comes from a fairly high rainfall area and even is frosted with snow occasionally.

The origin of its unique name is derived from its early cultivation in Britain about 1850, when seeds were brought back from an early botanical expedition to South America.

The tree was very popular in Victorian England and legend has it that an owner of a young tree specimen in Cornwall was showing it to a group of friends. One remarked, "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that," and the name stuck.

A few months ago my wife and I were on holiday to Scotland and I had my fill of castles and antique shops, so I decided to dedicate my day to the world-renowned Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. So off by bus I went to have a full day of botanical delights just on the outskirts of Edinburgh… and, oh, what a day I had.

While meandering the trails and paths of these huge grounds, I suddenly came upon an opening around a bend and there, planted out in the middle of this expansive lawn, was my first one-on-one encounter with the monkey-puzzle tree.

I was totally awestruck by its presence and sentry-like and sculptural shape. I have seen photos of this tree, I have read descriptions and seen pictures in books about this tree and finally there it was, standing in front of me with sprawling branches saying, "Welcome, Tree Man. It’s about time."

Upon my return to California I scoured every botanical resource I had at my fingertips on the computer and called up and down the state and could not locate anyone growing these specialty trees for sale.

Finally, as my territory expanded north out of California, I found a nursery up in Oregon, where I ordered a few to be shipped down and this winter shall try to get a few into my landscape setting on the ranch.

There are a number of other species but they are not being commercially grown here in the states.

Down in Queensland there are some commercial forests that have been planted to cultivate some species for the wonderful grained wood that they produce. Araucaria wood is highly sought after by cabinetmakers and it can be turned on a lathe to create exquisite bowls and carvings.

Years ago, when I was working up in Santa Barbara at an orchid ranch, there was a grower who grew a very lovely blue-gray form of the star pine from cuttings. It was a showstopper.

I haven’t seen any of that type since and perhaps it was one of the experiences in life that you come upon and just stash it away in your memory bank as to say, "Oh, yes, I did see that once in my life. Wasn’t I lucky?"

As the holiday season is here, we tend to recreate settings and atmospheres in our homes with trees, garlands and wreaths with festoons of berries, flowers and fruits decorating all parts of our living space.

What a glorious time to also appreciate the green world upon which this tiny blue marble is floating through space.

Cheers to the flora and fauna of the earth.

Editor’s Note: Roger Boddaert is a landscape designer/horticulturist and soils consultant in Fallbrook. He can be reached at (760) 728-4297.

3 comments for "Roger’s Tree Pick for December: star pine"

1. Kathy U. says :

I enjoyed this article. The star pine is one of my favorites. I'm not a horticulturist, I just love trees, especially pine trees. I like to look at trees and enjoy their beauty, and watch the wind blow through them and blow it's leaves everywhere. I love the sound of wind through trees, and the sound of the birds who've nested in them. I even love to draw and paint trees, especially pine trees. Seven years ago, I adopted a small star pine from my brother when it was maybe two feet high and was brown and looked half-dead. Although it was hanging on for life, for some reason, my brother didn't want it. I must say, it looked worse than a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. When he offered it to me, I snapped it up before he could finish his sentence. It may have been almost dead, but it was my own little pine tree! Finding the perfect place on my patio and with some tender loving care, it grew very slowly and started to look healthier. New branches soon began to appear, and the tree soon became green in color like pine trees are supposed to be. That star pine was an impressive focal point on my patio-it 'dressed it up' I guess you could say. Pine trees in general tend to do that I think-they 'dress up' an area-they make an area look nicer. Wherever a pine tree is planted, that area is immediately transformed from city/suburb boorish monotony to a little piece of real nature. No matter where I am, I can look at a pine tree and invision being in the mountains. I'm instantly relaxed. I can almost smell the mountain air and hear the wind blow through the pine trees. Around the little patch of city/suburb ground that a pine tree stands on, I almost expect to see pine cones and a forest floor of pine needles, and maybe a squirrel or a deer standing nearby. Well, seven years now after adopting my star pine, it is almost seven feet high and needs to be transplanted to a bigger pot. I'm not supposed to plant it in my condo's tiny backyard due to space restrictions and possible pipe damage from roots, so it survives in a large pot. It will soon go into a half-barrel tub, where hopefully it will feel free to spread it's roots a little and grow even more and look even more impressive. However, I feel sorry for the poor yet beautiful thing; I cannot bring myself to give it to someone who can plant it in their yard so it can flourish to it's full glorious potential. Maybe someday (years from now). But for right now, I'll be selfish and keep it on my patio where it will be my own little piece of mountain property. By the way, whenever my brother see it, he always asks if it's the same tree he gave away, almost not believeing that the runty little dried up, twiggy thing he gave me back then could look so beautiful. I think he wants it back. Maybe some day.

2. Kathryn W says :

Hi,
I was so glad to see this article and need advice for my poor Monkey Puzzle tree. We recently moved to eastern Oklahoma, from southern CA, complete with some light snow that never lasts long, but some low temps and deep rain. My poor little tree survived the move and very cold winter in my garage which stayed at about 40 degrees through Dec, Jan, and Feb. I only recently put her into the ground here, good but clay like loamy soil here. She has been declining since we left California, but still has some boughs left, although seems to be losing sap up in the upper third of the 9 foot tree. The top hat is brown, although there is still some green sprouting in the central trunk. This tree is 22 years old, and spent most of that time in a medium container. It was given to me in that pot. I want to save this tree desperately, but wonder if it has gone into shock. It has gone to 30 degrees the last few days since I planted it 5 days ago. Please, I appreciate any help I can get. nobody here knows about Star Pines. Thanks so much!
klwilburne@gmail. com

7:32 am Mon, Oct 19^th, 2009

3. Barry S. says :

I work for a man that has a double (twin) starpine, the single trunk split into two different trees about three feet from the ground. Now at 40 to 50 ft. tall with one them growing at an angle and the junglebobs making a tremendous mess he would like to cut the `leaner' off and maybe keep the straight one. The mess from the junglebobs is so bad he may get rid of both although he loves them. Is there a way to keep this plant from going to seed (growing junglebobs/pinecones)? Thanks, Barry. barry.sm@hotmail.com

Roger’s Tree Pick for December: star pine

3 comments for "Roger’s Tree Pick for December: star pine"

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