Araucaria araucana seed
LATIN NAME: ARAUCARIA ARAUCANA
COMMON NAME: Monkey Puzzle
On the volcanic slopes of the southern Andes, the monkey puzzle grows as a majestic, evergreen tree with the symmetrical, rounded crown of stiff, triangular, overlapping, sharp-pointed leaves that clothe the branches like armour, the huge, round cones holding the large, edible nuts. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. Full sun brings out its best, in deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The monkey puzzle occupies a long place in the studies of the ancient conifers of the southern hemisphere, its armoured leaves and its great cones keeping it in view in the work on the relict araucaria forests of the Andes and the living-fossil conifers of the southern lands. The research looks at the way the triangular leaves clothe the branches, the great cones ripen and fall whole, and the seed biology of the large, edible nuts.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the large garden and the park, the monkey puzzle makes the unmistakable, armoured silhouette that stops every visitor and carries the memory of the dinosaur age. The large nuts have fed the people of the Andes for centuries, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the collector”s conifer and the conversation tree of the grand garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and well-drained place.
To grow the Monkey Puzzle from seed, plant the large seeds one to a deep pot of gritty compost.
Plant the large seeds one to a deep pot of gritty compost, and keep the young monkey puzzles in the open, sunny spot. The armoured leaves build with the years.
LATIN NAME: Araucaria araucana
COMMON NAME: Monkey-puzzle Tree, Chile Pine, Pewen, Pehuen
The monkey-puzzle tree is one of the most extraordinary conifers in the world, and its spiny, armoured branches make it look like a tree from another age. It develops into a rosette of leaves, up to a metre tall. It is a native of southern Chile and western Argentina, and it is a tree of great age and great history, sacred to the people of the region, and it is now protected.
The monkey-puzzle tree belongs to the Araucaria family, Araucariaceae, and it is a conifer that grows to thirty to forty metres with a trunk of one to one and a half metres. It is native to the southern Andes, and it is one of the most distinctive and ancient of the conifers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The monkey-puzzle tree has a genuine and distinguished place in both botanical and conservation research. It has been studied in botany, since it is one of the most ancient and distinctive of the conifers, a living link to the age of the dinosaurs, and researchers have examined its classification, its relationships within the Araucaria family and its long evolutionary history, which has made it of great interest in the study of the evolution of the conifers. The tree has also been studied in conservation biology, since it is a protected species and its populations in the Andes have been of real concern, and researchers have examined its status, its decline and the efforts to conserve it, while its great nuts have long been a food of the people of the region. The species has also been studied in forestry and in horticulture, since it is a striking ornamental and a valuable timber tree. For a tree of such ancient lineage, the monkey-puzzle tree has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the monkey-puzzle tree is a keystone of the southern Andean forest. Its great nuts feed the people of the region and the wildlife, its armoured crown gives shelter, and it is a living monument of an ancient forest, treasured and protected.
Its economic value is real. The great nuts are gathered and eaten as a traditional food of the region, and the tree is a striking ornamental, grown in gardens around the temperate world, while its timber has been valued, though the tree is now protected and its remaining forests are treasured. For a grower, the monkey-puzzle tree is a fascinating and historic tree, and for a gardener it brings the unforgettable sight of a tree from the age of the dinosaurs. The seeds are easy — sow them fresh in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them in a cool, bright, sheltered spot and water them gently, and theyll sprout within a few weeks, growing on into a spiny, armoured young tree.
Araucaria Araucana The Monkey Puzzle Tree Seedling Everybody loves the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Its most unusual leaves, shape and form makes it stand out from the crowd.
This is a survivor from the times when dinosaurs ruled the earth, although today, because of environmental harm, in its native habitat it has become endangered.