Tree · Araucariaceae
Norfolk Island Pine
Araucaria heterophylla
Give it bright light, cool air, and steady moisture, and this gentle living conifer will hold its tidy tiers indoors all year.
Bright indirect
55–64°F · 13–18°C
USDA 9–11
3–6 ft · 0.9–1.8 m
Overview
The Norfolk Island pine is a living conifer that brings a soft, feathery, tiered evergreen right into your home, and it asks less of you than its elegant look suggests. It hails from Norfolk Island in the South Pacific, where it grows into a towering tree, yet in a pot it settles into a friendly 3 to 6 feet (about 91 to 183 cm) tall. Plenty of people welcome one in as a living stand-in for a cut Christmas tree.
Look a little closer and you'll find this isn't really a pine. It belongs to the genus Araucaria, an ancient Southern Hemisphere conifer family far older than the true pines it echoes. The soft, needle-like branches fan out in tidy, even whorls around one upright leader, and that calm, layered shape is the whole joy of keeping one.
It thanks you for a cool, bright spot and an even hand with the watering can, and it forgives more than you might fear. The one thing to remember is that it grows slowly and won't replace what it loses, so a browned branch or a cut leader leaves a gap that stays. Get the light, the humidity, and the water roughly right, and it will keep its lovely form for years to come.
Care
The short version: give it bright indirect light, keep it in cool rooms around 55°F to 64°F (13°C to 18°C), and let the soil stay evenly moist through the growing season but drier in winter. Offer a little humidity, never leave it standing in water, and please leave that central leader be.
Light
Offer it bright, indirect light, and a spot near a sunny window where the direct rays are softened suits it beautifully. It can handle a little full sun, though a touch of afternoon shade keeps the foliage from bleaching, and a dim corner will slowly thin out those lower branches you want to keep.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist from spring through autumn, then ease back through the winter months. Let the top of the soil begin to dry between drinks, and never leave the pot sitting in water. Trust the feel of the soil and the firmness of the foliage as your guide, rather than sticking to a rigid schedule.
Soil
Settle it into a fertile, porous mix with a generous helping of sand and peat, kept a little on the acidic side. Sharp drainage is what matters most here, since this gentle conifer will rot if its roots stay soggy.
Temperature
Cool rooms are where it feels happiest, ideally somewhere between 55°F and 64°F (13°C to 18°C). Keep it comfortably clear of heat vents, and take care not to let it dip below 50°F (10°C) once winter sets in.
Humidity
Ordinary household humidity is fine, but dry, heated air is its main enemy indoors. In a warm room, a light misting of the foliage or a spot near other plants will lift the moisture around it just enough.
Feeding
Feed it a dilute liquid fertilizer through spring and summer, roughly every week or two. Set the bottle aside in winter, when the plant is barely growing and has little need for it.
Pruning
This is a plant you can mostly leave in peace. Never top it or cut the central leader, because that spoils the whorled shape and it won't grow a new one back. Stick to removing only the dead or damaged lower branches.
Repotting
Repot just every 2 to 4 years, once it has clearly grown potbound. It genuinely likes being a little rootbound and dislikes being disturbed, so there's no rush to size it up before it's ready.
Size & spacing
Indoors it reaches 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) tall with a spread of about 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 cm). Leave it a little room on every side so the tiers can open out evenly and keep that lovely symmetry.
Troubleshooting
Most hiccups with a Norfolk Island pine trace back to the air and the watering, and they tend to show up first on the lower branches. Learn to spot those early signs and you can step in gently, well before a bare patch settles in for good. Find what matches your plant below, then act while a little help still goes a long way.
A drooping plant sitting in soggy soil
When wilting comes hand in hand with wet soil, the likely culprit is root rot from too much water or a pot that won't drain, and now and then the mushroom root rot fungus. Ease right off the water, tip out any saucer so the pot never sits in a puddle, and move it into an airy mix if the roots already feel soft and dark. Left too long this one can take the plant, so catching it soon really matters.
Fix:
- Reduce watering frequency
- Ensure pot drains freely and empty saucers
- Repot into porous, well-drained mix if rot is present
A sticky black coating or faint webbing on the branches
A tacky film that turns black is the calling card of scale insects, whose sugary honeydew feeds that sooty mold. If instead you spot fine speckling and delicate webs, you're looking at spider mites, the sort that love a hot, dry room. Gently wipe the branches clean, treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and nudge the humidity up so the mites don't feel welcome again.
Fix:
- Wipe or wash foliage
- Treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
- Increase humidity to discourage mites
When the bottom branches brown and let go
Take heart, because bare lower tiers nearly always come down to dry, heated indoor air, and it tends to creep in after a couple of years spent in a dim spot. Move your plant somewhere bright and cool, and give the air around it a little more moisture. A lost tier won't fill back in, so stepping in early is the kindest thing you can do for its shape.
Fix:
- Move to a bright, cool room with indirect light
- Mist foliage or raise ambient humidity in heated rooms
- Keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged
Toxicity
There's very little to worry about here. The ASPCA and NC State both list this plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, though the sap can still leave a pet that chews it with an upset stomach or a little skin irritation. People are essentially safe around it, so your only real job is to keep a determined chewer away from the foliage.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs
Safe for
People · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Mild
A cat who nibbles the needle-like foliage might drool a little, be sick, or lose interest in food for a while, and the sap can leave the mouth or skin faintly sore. It usually stays gentle and settles by itself, but a determined chewer is reason enough to set a young plant somewhere out of reach.
Dogs Mild
A dog who chews on the branches may end up with a queasy stomach and a bit of drooling or sickness, and the sticky sap can leave the skin around the muzzle a touch irritated. None of that is dangerous in the small amounts a pet would take, though it's still worth guiding a curious dog gently away from the lower tiers.
Horses None
Both the ASPCA and NC State Extension mark it non-toxic to horses, and since it lives indoors, a horse is very unlikely to ever cross paths with one.
Rabbits Safe
Nothing toxic has been recorded for rabbits, and the tough, resin-laden foliage isn't something a rabbit finds tempting to nibble anyway.
Livestock Safe
There's no record of this plant poisoning livestock, and kept in a pot indoors it stays nicely out of any grazing animal's way.
Birds Safe
Pet birds don't seem to react to the leaves, though a bird that lands and pecks can smear its feathers with sticky resin.
People Safe
Around people this plant is essentially safe, and no part of it is grown to be eaten. The sap can leave sensitive skin a little itchy, so a quick rinse of your hands after pruning is all it takes.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
There aren't named cultivars to weigh up here, but one old botanical name still tags along with this plant through the houseplant trade.
Araucaria excelsa (former name)
You'll still spot this older synonym on plant tags and in the houseplant trade, and there's no need to worry, because it points to the very same plant sold today as Araucaria heterophylla.
How to propagate
A Norfolk Island pine is far simpler to buy than to raise yourself, and the shape any new plant takes depends entirely on which growth you start from, so it helps to know your options.
SeedModerate
Sow when fresh in moist, sandy, peaty soil · Several weeks to germinate; slow to develop into a sizeable plant
Seed is the surest route to a new plant, so don't be put off giving it a try. Sow it fresh into a moist, sandy, peaty mix, and settle in for the wait, since it takes several weeks to sprout and a good deal longer to become anything sizeable. Your patience pays off with a plant that has the proper upright leader and those even, whorled tiers the species is loved for.
Stem cuttingsDemanding
From terminal (leader) growth · Slow and unreliable
Cuttings are the fussier option, and they only stand a chance if you take them from the upright leader tip, where rooting is still slow and unreliable. A piece from a side branch will root, but it always grows off sideways into a lopsided, distorted plant, so it never quite replaces a good seedling.
Myths
The Norfolk Island pine is a true pine.
Those needle-like branches are convincing, but this plant sits in the genus Araucaria, family Araucariaceae, and not in Pinus at all. It's an ancient Southern Hemisphere conifer that calls Norfolk Island home, far older than the true pines it happens to resemble. The pine in its name is a look-alike, never a relative.
Keeping a Norfolk Island pine puts cats and dogs at serious risk of poisoning.
You can relax on this one, since the ASPCA lists Araucaria heterophylla, under its 'Australian Pine' entry, as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and NC State says the same, so the toxic label many places repeat is simply a misconception. In practice the risk is mild, because a pet that chews the foliage might get a slightly upset stomach or a little skin irritation from the sap, and nothing beyond that.