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Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla)

By Mary Welch-Keesey, Purdue University Consumer Horticulture Specialist, and Martha Bailey, volunteer, at White River Gardens

The Norfolk Island Pine is a coniferous evergreen tree which has whorled branches and needlelike foliage. Its origin is the Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean, which is located between New Caledonia and New Zealand.

The tree grows in a pyramidal shape with the limbs arranged in tiers. Each tier of the plant consists of 5 to 7 branches which are thickly set with sharp-pointed leaves that are 1/2 inch long and curved at the tip. As a houseplant its height can range from 2 to 10 feet. It practically never flowers or fruits in cultivation. It makes an attractive Christmas tree when it is decorated, but it is equally attractive without decorations throughout the year.

The sapling stage is grown throughout the world as a houseplant and as an outdoor ornamental in warm climates. In their native environment, mature trees can reach a height of 200 feet with a trunk sometimes reaching 10 feet in diameter. These trees produce lumber that is used in furniture, construction, and shipbuilding.

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