Cook Pine, New Caledonia Pine

Scientific Name : Araucaria columnaris (G. Forst.) Hook.
Common Name : Cook Pine, New Caledonia Pine
Chinese Name : 柱狀南洋杉
Family : ARAUCARIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	Cook Pine is a native species of New Caledonia, an island located within Oceania in the Southern Hemisphere.
Applications	The species is widely planted as street trees and horticultural plants across the tropics and subtropics. Being a tropical coastal plant, it is less tolerant to the cold. As its growth form is similar to a Christmas tree, it can be used as a substitute.
Meanings of names	The mature individuals resemble narrow pillars, therefore the species got its name as “Pillar-Shaped Hoop Pine (柱狀南洋杉)” in Chinese; its specific epithet “columnaris” in its scientific name also reflects this character. Meanwhile, the name “Cook Pine” is named after James Cook, a captain in the British Royal Navy who discovered the plant.
Misidentification	Cook Pine is often confused with its close relative, the Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco. The growth forms of their young individuals are nearly indifferentiable, but their differences are more obvious in the mature ones. Norfolk Island Pine has a tower-like tree crown, while the crown of Cook Pine shapes as a narrow column.
Special feature	Cook Pine has a habit to lean towards the equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, it leans towards the south; in the Southern Hemisphere, it leans towards the north. The higher the latitude is, the greater magnitude it leans. A scientific study found that more than 90% of the studied individuals had this phenomenon. However, the mechanism of this behaviour is unknown and to be unveiled.

Traits for identification

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=13227

Scientific names from other databases
― Plants of the World Online : Araucaria columnaris (G. Forst.) Hook.

Reference

• Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3^rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
• Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). 2018 Third Revision (Revised Contents). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/PublicationsPreface.aspx?BookNameId=8&SectionId=18&ContentId=121
• Arboriculture & Vegetation Management Consulting (Arbor Global). (2010). Araucaria Tree Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction Recommendations. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://www.devb.gov.hk/filemanager/tc/content_69/P201002040150_0150_61829.pdf
• Blaxell, D., Bryant, G., von Bery, G. L., Paddison, V. & Segall, B. (2001). Trees & Shrubs. Global Book Publishing Pty Ltd, Willoughby, Australia. ISBN: 1-7408-007-4.
• Development Bureau. (2010). Government notes Maryknoll Convent School's decision to remove Norfolk Island Pine (5824) (Text Version). Secretary for Development (SDEV) Press Releases. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://www.devb.gov.hk/en/sdev/press/t_index_id_5824.html
• Earle, C. J. (2020). Araucaria columnaris (J.R. Forst.) Hooker. The Gymnosperm Database. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://www.conifers.org/ar/Araucaria_columnaris.php
• Johns, J., Yost, J., Nicolle, D., Igic, B. & Ritter, M. (2017). Worldwide hemisphere-dependent lean in Cook pines. Ecology, 98(9), 2482-2484. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26601100
• Missouri Botanical Garden. Araucaria columnaris. Plant Finder, Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276626
• National Parks Board (NParks). (2020). Araucaria columnaris (J.R.Forst.) Hook. Flora & Fauna Web. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/7/2721
• SelecTree. (1995-2020). Araucaria columnaris. Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute (UFEI) - SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide. Retrieved 8^th June 2020, from: https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/araucaria-columnaris
• The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). (1992). The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press Limited, London & The Stockton Press, New York. ISBN: 1-56159-001-0.
• 深圳市人民政府城市管理辦公室、深圳市仙湖植物園、深圳市城市管理科學研究所。（1998）。《深圳園林植物》。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-2149-3。