Species · genus Araucaria · Araucariaceae

Bunya Bunya

Araucaria bidwillii Hook.

Also known as: Bunya Pine · Queensland-pine · Bunya · Bunya-Bunya Pine · Moreton-bay-pine

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Queensland

Araucaria bidwillii — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of A. bidwillii

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

No named cultivars catalogued under A. bidwillii 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 Towering Southern Conifer

Araucaria bidwillii, known as the bunya-bunya pine, is a large evergreen conifer in the family Araucariaceae. It is grown as an architectural specimen, whether outdoors in mild climates or containerised under glass elsewhere.

Source: RHS

Queensland Native

This species is native to Queensland, Australia, where it grows within the subtropical biome. It has also been introduced to Réunion. The name was first published by Hooker in 1843.

Source: Kew

Bright, Sheltered, and Fed

In areas where temperatures drop below 5°C, grow it as a containerised tree under glass, moving it outside to a sheltered, sunny spot for summer. Use a well-drained, loam-based compost with added grit, water freely through spring to early autumn, and let the compost stay just moist over winter. Feed with a balanced fertiliser every two weeks during the growing season.

Source: RHS

Seed or Vertical Cuttings

Propagate by sowing seed as soon as it is ripe. Semi-ripe cuttings can also be taken from vertical shoot tips in midsummer and rooted in a cold frame, but cuttings taken from horizontal side branches will not grow into an upright tree.

Source: RHS

Scale and Striking Cones

Left to its own devices this is a very large tree, capable of reaching 45 metres, with branches arranged in distinct whorls. Young plants carry a conical shape with spirally arranged, flattened, glossy leaves tipped with a spine, and as the tree ages it loses its lower branches and rounds out at the crown. It bears massive cones, up to 30cm long, ripening from green to brown and containing edible nuts.

Source: RHS

Largely Trouble-Free

This conifer is generally pest-free, though it may be susceptible to honey fungus.

Source: RHS

Leave the Shape Alone

Little or no pruning is needed, since cutting into this tree can permanently spoil its natural shape.

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

10–26 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining loamy mix with grit

Propagation

Fresh seed

Fertilizing

Light balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Does not flower indoors; a slow, sculptural conifer

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.

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 Bunya Bunya 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.