Araucaria angustifolia

Araucaria angustifolia, the Paraná pine, Brazilian pine or candelabra tree (pinheiro-do-paraná, araucária or pinheiro brasileiro), is a critically endangered species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Although the common names in various languages refer to the species as a "pine", it does not belong in the genus Pinus. The genus Araucaria was part of terrestrial flora since the Triassic and found its apogee in Gondwana. Today, it is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere and has 19 species. Covering an original area of , it has now lost an estimated 97% of its habitat to logging, agriculture, and silviculture. It is native to southern Brazil (also found in high-altitude areas of southern Minas Gerais, in central Rio de Janeiro and in the east and south of São Paulo, but more typically in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul). According to a study made by Brazilian researcher Reinhard Maack, the original area of occurrence represented 36.67% of the Paraná state (), 60.13% of the Santa Catarina state (), 21.6% of the São Paulo state () and 17.38% of the Rio Grande do Sul state (). It is also found in the northeast of Argentina (Misiones and Corrientes), locally in Paraguay (Alto Paraná), growing in low mountains at altitudes of and in northern regions of Uruguay where it was thought to be extinct until recent discoveries. The prehistoric distribution of A. angustifolia in earlier geologic periods was very different to the present day, fossils were found in northeastern Brazil. The present-day range is recent, the species moving into this area during the later Pleistocene and early Holocene. This chorological shift may possibly be due to climatic change and the migration of mountain flora by way of river courses. It is an evergreen tree growing to tall and diameter at breast height. However, the largest individual, near Nova Petrópolis, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil is in height with a D.B.H. (diameter at breast height) of girth. The tree is fast growing; as much as a year ( in 14 years) at Puerto Piray, Misiones Province, Argentina.