Araucaria bidwillii

Botanical Name: Araucaria bidwillii

Author: Hook.

Common Name: Bunya Pine

Family: Araucariaceae

Location

A large conifer from Queensland where it is rare in the north but common in the Bunya Mountains and nearby areas in the south. 

At Mount Annan we have planted many of these trees and in the years to come you’ll be able to see them marching along the ridge as you drive down the motorway.

One of our oldest trees, planted in 1988 in Bed 1 on the Terrace Garden, has started to produce cones.

Historically this ornamental conifer, along with the closely related Hoop Pine, was commonly planted around homesteads in the Macarthur area. Over the years gardens have become smaller in size and it is no longer possible for most people to grow their own tree. Our plantings at Mount Annan Botanic Garden will ensure that it continues to be a signature planting for the area.

Mature trees produce cones weighing up to 5 kg and about the size of a football which can be quite a health hazard as they tumble from the sky. At Mount Annan Botanic Garden you can look at these magnificent trees from a safe distance.