Parana Pine

Parana Pine, also called Brazilian Pine, is a large conifer native to the Atlantic highland forests of southern Brazil and adjacent parts of Argentina and Paraguay; despite its common name it is not a true pine but a member of the ancient family Araucariaceae. It grows to 30 meters or more with a distinctive umbrella shaped crown of horizontal branches in mature trees, and it produces large, edible seeds known as pinhao that have long been an important food source for Indigenous peoples and wildlife in the region. The species once formed extensive forests across the Brazilian highlands, but these forests have been reduced by more than ninety percent through logging and land conversion, leaving the species classified as critically endangered. Its wood was historically one of the most economically important timbers in southern Brazil.