Araucaria
/ˌær.əˈkɛər.i.ə/noun
A genus of evergreen coniferous trees, including the monkey puzzle tree and Norfolk Island pine.
Did you know?Araucaria was named from Spanish references to the Arauco region and the Mapuche people of Chile, showing how plant names can preserve colonial geography as if it were a spell cast into Latin taxonomy.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Spanish
Arauco
“A region and people in south-central Chile associated with the Mapuche”
18th Century
Latinized scientific nomenclature
Araucaria
“A newly created genus name for distinctive South American and Pacific conifers”
1758
French/Latinized botany
Araucaria
“Used by botanists as a formal genus label in scientific classification”
Modern English
English
Araucaria
“The accepted English name for this genus of evergreen conifers”
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