Any pinelike coniferous plant (see conifer) of the genus Araucaria (family Araucariaceae). Found in South America, the Phoenix Islands, and Australia, araucaria trees are magnificent evergreens, with whorled branches and stiff, flattened, pointed leaves. Common species are the monkey puzzle tree and the Norfolk Island pine, often grown as a houseplant. Several species are cultivated on the Pacific coast of the U.S. and in southern Florida. See also pine
The wood cells differ from those of other in having the dots in their lateral surfaces in two or three rows, and the dots of contiguous rows alternating