It had basal sucker-like shoots.

The cones closely resemble Cunninghamia lanceolata. (China fir).

So does the bark and foliage. And the cones are far too tiny to be associated with any Araucaria I am familiar with (although I am far from being any expert). Cunninghamia seems a reasonable suggestion.

Thanks folks. I think that's it. I'm not remotely into conifers so I didn't recognise this one.

And reproduction by suckering is a trait not shared by many evergreen conifers.

Just for information, this is Araucaria

^_And to be more precise. yours is Araucaria Araucana (monkey puzzle tree).

There are 19 extant species of Araucaria currently on record.

Here is a picture of what I believe is Araucaria bidwillii, taken at the international peace gardens (designated an International Zone between North Dakota USA and Canada).

I am very familiar with a few Araucarias, including A araucana, which is common here. This is why I was baffled. It has many Araucaria features but I couldn't match it to a species. I didn't know any other spikey conifer genera. I was also aware that suckering in conifers is a bit unusual, so that was a puzzle too.

I was a bit puzzled too and like Pam said, all the Araucaria cones were huge.

I do cheat a little :-) by using a plant app. It's not 100% accurate but it gives me a few possibilities when it comes to some of the more exotic species. I Then have to research those to match the picture up for an identification.

btw: Your pictures floral were excellent an if it wasn't for those cones and closeups, it may have taken me a lot longer. :^)