Posted on Friday, 9th October 2009 by Interloper
Araucariaceae are an ancient family of conifer trees that achieved maximum diversity during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, at which times variations of the species could be found across most of the world.
At the end of the Cretaceous period, following the extinction event that killed the last surviving dinosaurs, all of the Arucariaceae in the northern hemisphere also became extinct.
Members of the species can be found today occuring naturally throughout the southern hemisphere, all of which are the descendants of trees that once grew in prehistoric Antarctica.
There are 41 species of Araucariaceae alive today. Perhaps most famous among them is the Norfolk Island Pine, which is popularly cultivated along coastlines ranging from Florida to Victor Harbor.
Posted in Trivia | Comments (0)
