11-ARAUCARIA EXCELSA Hooker.
Local names: Christmas tree, Red fir.
Family: Araucariaceae
Location: Botanical Garden, Junior College building park
Characters: tree, to 4–5 m with a trunk 0.2–0.8 m in diameter, crown dome shaped, bark thick resinous, leaves spirally enlarged, lance shaped on sterile shoots upto 5 cm longer, 0.2–0.5 cm wide, dark green, stiff apex, narrowing into a long stiff point male female strobili usually on different trees, occasionally on the same male cutikins upto 15 cm – 17.8 cm long 0.7 cm wide, produced near the points of the branches on the upper parts of the tree. Cones erect, seeds large, pear shaped, ripe seeds are produced each year, a full crop is obtained every third year. Occasionally planted in churches, and gardens.
General use: Evergreen ornamental beautiful plant grows in garden for its green beauty.
Religious use: It is a sacred plants for Christians, in the 16th century in Germany, the people decorates Christmas tree with lights and shining star of the top. The custom spread and even now a days it is decorated in same manner. It is thought that this use of every green symbolised survival and they have been associated with Christmas ever since the middle ages.
Veterinary use: Leaves paste and bark paste is used on wounds.