Araucaria cunninghamii

Hoop pine is in the araucaria or Araucariaceae family and native to the dry rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia, and New Guinea, reaching up to 450 years old and 60 m in height.

• It is a symmetrical, cone-shaped tree that grows up to 60 m in height and gets its common name from the outer layer of bark which forms scale-like horizontal hoops.
• The leaves on young trees are awl-shaped, 1–2 cm long, about 2 mm thick at the base, and scale-like, incurved, 1–2 cm long and 4 mm broad on mature trees. The cones are ovoid, 8–10 cm long and 6–8 cm diameter, and take about 18 months to mature. They disintegrate at maturity to release the nut-like edible seeds.
• Because of its adaptability to a variety of conditions, hoop pine is an established commercial plantation tree throughout south-east Queensland.