noun
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
Origin:
ModL < Sp Arauco: see Araucanian
adjective
designating a family (Araucariaceae) of unusual conifers found esp. in Chile, Australia, and S U.S.