Species · genus Araucaria · Araucariaceae

Parana Pine

Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze

Also known as: Candelabra Tree · Paraná Pine · Brazilian-pine · Parana Araucaria · Paraná Araucaria

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Paraguay

Araucaria angustifolia — reference photo — Book edited by Brown, R. Scan from the British Library Variant by YuriNikolai · CC0

Cultivars of A. angustifolia

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. angustifolia yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Hybrid Monkey Puzzle

This is the cross between Araucaria angustifolia and Araucaria araucana, a slow-growing evergreen tree carrying the common monkey puzzle name. It shows the family's signature snake-like branches, set with dark green, sharp, pointed needles that curve upward, above grey, wrinkled bark.

Source: RHS

Sun, Soil, Shelter

Give it full sun or partial shade, in a sheltered spot facing east, south or west. It wants moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, on the acidic side if possible, and tolerates chalk, loam or sand across acid, alkaline or neutral pH. In the UK it is rated hardy in coastal and relatively mild areas, coping with cold down to around -5°C.

Source: RHS

Seed Over Cuttings

Seed sown in a seedbed as soon as it is ripe is the standard route. Semi-ripe cuttings from vertical shoot tips can be taken in midsummer and rooted in a cold frame, but cuttings from horizontal side branches will not grow into an upright tree.

Source: RHS

Needles, Bark, Habit

The habit is columnar and upright, built from branches wrapped in stiff, upward-curving needles. Bark is grey and noticeably wrinkled, and the whole tree stays evergreen through the year. Left to its own devices it reaches a considerable size, 8 to 12 metres tall and 4 to 8 metres across, over a maturation span of 20 to 50 years.

Source: RHS

Leave It Be

This tree falls into the light-pruning group, and little or none is really wanted, since cutting it back can permanently spoil its shape. It is generally free of pests, though it can be vulnerable to honey fungus.

Source: RHS

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–24 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining, slightly acidic loamy mix

Propagation

Fresh seed; cuttings rarely successful

Fertilizing

Light balanced feed a few times in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Does not flower indoors; a conifer grown for its form

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Book edited by Brown, R. Scan from the British Library Variant by YuriNikolai · CC0

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Parana Pine yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.