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Araucaria bidwillii

BUNYA-BUNYA

Like its close relative the Norfolk Island pine, the bunya-bunya has a distinctive silhouette. As with other members of the ancient Araucaria genus, the tree’s branches are spaced evenly along the trunk in whorls, giving the tree a symmetrical look. Bunya-bunyas are large trees, often reaching 80 feet, and mature trees develop a characteristic rounded crown. The glossy green leaves are lance shaped, sharply pointed, and spirally arranged on branches. The tree is native to the Bunya Mountains of Queensland in northeastern Australia.

Perhaps the most unusual feature of the bunya-bunya is its football-sized female cone, which looks something like a pineapple and can weigh 10–15 pounds (the record is held by a 17-pounder). The cones, which set every three years, are produced high in the tree’s canopy and can cause serious injury when they fall. Each cone produces 50–100 large edible seeds, or bunya nuts. The nuts were a food source for Queensland’s aborigines.