By Esther E. McGinnis, Horticulturist

NDSU Extension

Despite my best intentions, I am always stressed by this point in the holiday season. As a mom, I feel the societal pressure to transform into Martha Stewart to create the ultimate holiday for my family. The only problem is that I don’t have Martha’s team of assistants to tastefully decorate the house, buy the perfect gifts and bake cookies that taste as delectable as they look.

In the real world, a nasty respiratory virus can derail a household’s holiday preparations. Our artificial Christmas tree and decorations remain packed in the closet. This year, I am going to give myself a little grace and use our Norfolk Island pine as a living Christmas tree. No assembly required!

The Norfolk Island pine is a slow-growing tropical conifer that is perfectly suited as a low-maintenance houseplant. Although it can reach heights of 200 feet in its native range, this houseplant typically grows to a height of 5-8 feet tall indoors over a decade. The combination of limited sunlight and soil creates a natural bonsai effect. Despite its tropical origins, the Norfolk Island pine is tolerant of low-light conditions found in homes.

I will divulge a little-known secret to our Dakota Gardener readers — the Norfolk Island pines that are sold in the houseplant trade are mislabeled due to an old taxonomic mistake. Instead, most of the houseplants that we see are Cook pines.

The Cook pine has a fascinating history of global exploration. Captain James Cook’s expedition discovered this species in New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Observing the tall, straight trunks, the expedition brought seeds to Hawaii in 1774 to be planted to produce ship masts. Unfortunately, the beautiful Hawaiian climate caused the trees to grow faster and become too spindly for use in shipbuilding.

Fast forward to today — the American nursery industry travels to Oahu, Hawaii, to harvest Cook pine cones for the houseplant market. I’m sure it’s a real hardship! The intrepid workers shimmy up 100-foot-tall trees to harvest the football-sized seed cones to send to Florida nurseries. Several seeds are planted in each container because seed germination is uncertain. The trees are pruned to create a well-branched structure and grown for two or more years, depending upon their intended market size.

The Cook pine has been getting a lot of scientific attention lately. Scientists noticed that trees growing in southern California and Florida landscapes have a distinctive lean to the south, while southern hemisphere trees lean toward the north. This scientific study revealed that Cook pines bend towards the equator, and the angle increases with latitude.

The trees in Hawaii lean slightly because of their closer proximity to the equator. The mechanism for this trait is still being studied.

If you decide to buy a Norfolk Island/Cook pine, keep the soil moist but not saturated. Water when the top 2 inches of soil have dried. Also, keep away from drafts. With proper care and occasional repotting, this houseplant will last for many years.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Dec. 16, 2025

Source: Esther McGinnis, 701-231-7406, esther.mcginnis@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu