araucaria

ar·au·car·ia | \ ˌa-ˌrȯ-ˈka-rē-ə

, ˌer-ȯ- \

Definition of araucaria

: any of a genus (Araucaria of the family Araucariaceae, the araucaria family) of South American or Australian coniferous trees that resemble pines and are often grown as ornamentals especially : monkey puzzle

History and Etymology for araucaria

borrowed from New Latin, from Araucānus araucanian (borrowed from Spanish araucano) + -āria -ary entry 1

Note: Genus name introduced by the French botanist Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita (Paris, 1789), pp. 413-14. Jussieu adapted the name from Juan Ignacio Molinaʼs Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chili (Bologna, 1782): "Il Pehuen, Pinus Araucana … nasce spontaneamente presso gli Araucani, e si coltiva nelle altre parti del Regno" ("The Pehuen, Pinus Araucana … grows naturally near the Araucanians, and is cultivated in the other parts of the country") (p. 182).

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