What is "araucariaceae"

Araucariaceae \Araucariaceae\ n. 1. 1 a family of tall evergreen cone-bearing trees of South America and Australia with broad leathery leaves; in some classifications included in the Pinaceae.

Syn: family Araucariaceae, araucaria family

The Araucariaceae, commonly referred to as araucarians, are a very ancient family of coniferous trees. The group achieved its maximum diversity in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when it was distributed almost worldwide. At the end of the Cretaceous, when the non-avian dinosaurs became extinct, so did most of the Araucariaceae in the Northern Hemisphere. At least one genus, possibly Agathis, survived into the Eocene.