Characteristics of Amboyna Pine Tree (Agathis sp.) in the Wild

Amboyna pine or Kauri is a large conifer that can grow to 60 meters tall and is found mostly in tropical rainforests. The tree grows from sea level to very high mountainous areas.

The Amboyna pine tree belongs to the Araucariaceae family, which was widespread throughout the Mesozoic, and is thought to have existed about 200 million years ago.

Before entering the Araucariaceae family, the Amboyna pine tree was first listed as a species placed in the genus Pinus (Lambert, 1803), then transferred to Abies (Poir 1817), and finally to its genus, Dammara.

The name Amboyna pine was first recognized in 1807 when it was still called Agathis loranthifolia.

Agathis itself is a very diverse genus, although there are only 21 species in it. The species are mostly found in tropical rain forests, and several other species grow in temperate and cool forests.

 

Characteristics of Amboyna Pine Leaf

The leaves are elliptical, 6-8 × 2-3 cm, and taper towards the rounded tip.

 

Characteristics of Amboyna Pine Fruit

The fruit is typical of conifers, pollen measuring 4-6 × 1.2-1.4 cm, and the seed cones are ovoid 9-10.5 × 7.5-9.5 cm.

 

Characteristics of Amboyna Pine Tree

Amboyna pine trees also act as shade plants for gardens and roadsides, for example along Dago Street at Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The shape of the tree is upright with the branches that are not too wide.

Amboyna pine trees can reach 60 meters in height, with round trunks that can reach a diameter of 1.5-2 meters. The outer bark is grayish with a hint of redness, peeling off in small pieces.

 
AMBOYNA PINE TREE BENEFITS

The Amboyna pine tree is cultivated for its sap, which is then processed into copal. The sap that comes out of the bark will freeze when exposed to air. After the sap hardens, then it is harvested, which is called copal tapped.