Family: Araucariaceae
Araucaria hunsteinii, commonly known as klinki pine or klinkii pine, is a tall, stately conifer native to the mountain rainforests of Papua New Guinea. It is among the tallest tropical trees in the world, capable of reaching over 250 feet in height under ideal conditions. The tree has a straight, cylindrical trunk with whorled branches and narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Klinki pine is cultivated for its high-quality, pale-colored timber, which is valued for furniture, joinery, and other fine woodworking applications. It also makes an attractive specimen or shade tree in large landscapes and arboreta.
In Hawaiʻi, klinki pine is cultivated occasionally as an ornamental or timber species, primarily at higher elevations. There are no reports of it being naturalized in the islands or showing invasive tendencies. While it is a large and long-lived tree that produces winged seeds dispersed by wind, its ecological requirements and slow growth make it unlikely to spread aggressively. Because of its limited use and lack of invasiveness, Araucaria hunsteinii is considered a low-risk and safe planting choice for Hawaiʻi.
High Risk Traits:
- Elevation range exceeds 1000 m, demonstrating environmental versatility
- Grows in tropical climates
- Possibly naturalized in Ecuador (unconfirmed)
- Cone covered with sharp spines
- Latex highly caustic to the skin, possibly poisonous if ingested
- Tolerates many soil types
- Forms dense stands in native range
- Reproduces by seeds
- Seeds dispersed by wind and intentionally by people
- Able to coppice and resprout after cutting
Low Risk Traits:
- No reports of negative impacts where cultivated outside native range
- Non-toxic
- Light-demanding (unlikely to establish in intact forest understory)
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
- Long time to reproductive maturity
- Relatively large seeds unlikely to be inadvertently dispersed
- Recalcitrant seeds will not form a persistent seed bank
