any tree of the coniferous genus Araucaria of South America, Australia, and Polynesia, such as the monkey puzzle and bunya-bunya
Word origin
C19: from New Latin (arbor) Araucaria (tree) from Arauco, a province in Chile
araucaria in American English
(ˌærɔˈkɛriə; ˌ ɛrɔˈkɛriə)
noun
1.
any of a genus (Araucaria) of the araucaria family of cone-bearing trees with flat, scalelike needles, native to the Southern Hemisphere and grown as ornamentals in other areas; esp., the monkey puzzle tree and the Norfolk Island pine
adjective
2.
designating a family (Araucariaceae) of unusual conifers found esp. in Chile, Australia, and S U.S.