Araucaria araucana / Monkey Puzzle tree
Araucaria araucana, as described in 1873 by (Molina) Karl Heinrich Emil Koch (1809–1879), Dendrologie, 2nd edition, vol.2, is commonly know as Monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, or Chilean pine; as well as Pehuén in Spanish, adapted from the indigenous Mapuche language. Other common names include pino de Neuquén, chihuén, pino hachado, pino solo in smple Spanish; Araucaria du Chili in French; pino del Paranà in Italian; apeboom in Dutch; andentanne, Chile-Tanne, Chilenische Araukarie in German; Andesi délfenyo, Csilei araukária in Hungarian; араукария чилийская in Russian; and 智利南洋杉 (zhi li nan yang shan) in Chinese.
The origin of the popular English language name, monkey puzzle, derives from its early cultivation in the United Kingdom in about 1850, when the species was still very rare in gardens and not widely known. The proud owner of a young specimen at Pencarrow garden near Bodmin in Cornwall was showing it to a group of friends, when someone made the remark "it would puzzle a monkey to climb that." As the species had no common name at the time, first "monkey puzzler," then "monkey puzzle tree" stuck in the popular vernacular.
In France, it is known as désespoir des singes or "monkeys' despair."
Taxonomic history. This conifer was discovered in Chile in the 1780s; Molina named it Pinus araucana in 1782. In 1789, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu published a new genus called Araucaria based on this species, and in 1797 José Antonio Pavón Jiménez published a new description of the species which he called Araucaria imbricata (an invalid name, as it did not use Molina's older species epithet). Finally, in 1873, after several further redescriptions, Koch published the combination Araucaria araucana, validating Molina's name in the genus. The species name araucana is derived from the native Araucanians who used the nuts (seeds) of the tree in Chile. A group of Araucanians living in the Andes, the Pehuenches, owe their name to their diet based on harvesting of the Araucaria seeds. Pehuén means Araucaria and che people in Mapudungun.

Description. Monkey puzzle tree is an evergreen coniferous species of tree that grows to mature heights of 130 feet (40 m); with trunk, 7 feet (2 m) in diameter, measured at breast height. Its native habitat, juvenile trees exhibit a broadly pyramidal or conical crown which naturally develops into the distinctive umbrella shape of mature specimens as the tree ages.
- Bark is gray-brown in color, resinous, and smooth, marked by rings made by old branch scars.
- Branches grow horizontal, in whorls of five, in opposite pairs, lateral branches horizontal to slightly pendant.
- Leaves are thick, tough and scale-like, with a triangular shape, measuring 1.2 to 1.6 inches (3 – 4 cm) long, and 0.4 to 1.2 inches (1 – 3 cm) broad at the base, and with razor-sharp edges and tip. They persist for 10 to 15 years or more, covering most of the tree except for the oldest branches.
- Pollen cones are oblong and cucumber-shaped, measuring 1.6 inches (4 cm) long at first, expanding to 3.2 to 4.8 inches (8 – 12 cm) long by 2 to 2.4 inches (5 – 6 cm) broad at the the time of pollen release. Trees are wind-pollinated.
- Seed cones, which mature in autumn about 18 months after pollination. They have a globose shape and are large; measuring 4.8 to 5 inches (12 – 20 cm) in diameter, holding about 200 seeds. The cones disintegrate at maturity to release the 1.2 to 1.6 inch (3 – 4 cm) long nut-like seeds.
![map by http://www.sphaydenphotography.com - [1], GFDL.](https://duz1zqzp328bb.cloudfront.net/content/_500x375_crop_center-center_80_none/800px-Araucana_ubicacion-350x654_190314_210743.jpg)
Distribution. This species is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina, found in the Andes mountains at 37 to 40°S and the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta mountains at 37 to 38°S, and in Argentina it is found in the Andes at 38 to 39°S, growing at elevations in excess of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above sea level. One will find it both in mixed (deciduous or evergreen) forests, as well as in pure stands. It is a highly fire-adapted species, occurring in an area where fires have long been caused by volcanic activity and, since the early Holocene, by humans. It prefers well drained, slightly acidic, volcanic soil but will tolerate almost any soil type provided it drains well.
It is the national tree of Chile.The tree A. araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Because of the great age of this species it is sometimes described as a living fossil. Its conservation status was enhanced to Endangered by the IUCN in 2013 due to its declining abundance.
Hardy to USDA Zone 8 — cold hardiness limit between 10 to 20ºF (-12.1°C to -6.7°C).
Araucaria araucana is a popular garden tree, planted for its unusual effect of the thick, "reptilian" branches with a very symmetrical appearance. It prefers temperate climates with abundant rainfall, tolerating temperatures down to about −4°F (−20°C). It is far and away the hardiest member of its genus, and can grow well in western Europe (north to the Faroe Islands and Smøla] in western Norway), the west coast of North America (north to the islands of Haida Gwaii in Canada) and locally on the east coast as well including Long Island, and in New Zealand and southeastern Australia. It is tolerant of coastal salt spray, but does not like exposure to pollution.
Its seeds are edible, similar to large pine nuts, and are extensively harvested in Chile. The tree has some potential to be a food crop in other areas in the future, thriving in climates with cool oceanic summers (e.g. western Scotland) where other nut crops do not grow well. A group of six female trees with one male for pollination could yield several thousand seeds per year. Since the cones drop, harvesting is easy. The tree however does not yield seeds until it is around 30 to 40 years old, which discourages investment in planting orchards (although yields at maturity can be immense). Once established, it can live possibly as long as 1,000 years. Once valued because of its long, straight trunk, its current rarity and vulnerable status mean its wood is now rarely used; it is also sacred to some members of the Mapuche indigenous American tribe. Before the tree became protected by law in 1971, there were lumber-mills in Araucanía Region which specialized in Araucarias. This species is listed in the CITES Appendix I as an endangered species.
Attribution from: Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia
Comments
what kind of dirt do i use to plant the tree,s?
I have been in love with araucaria since growing up in Liguria (Italy) where few of them imported from Chile were living happily.
I live now in Long Island NY where temperature rarely goes under 10F.
Can I try to plant them in my garden?
Where can I buy them?
Thank you for a courteous answer.
Maurizio
Hi Maurizio. I've seen Monkey Puzzles actually survive in Long Island, but I suspect that wouldn't thrive and are at risk of being taken out by a really hard freeze.
As for where to buy one ... on the west coast, they are available everywhere. Every good garden center will have them available. Long Island? ... I have no idea, but if you have a good relationship with your favorite garden center, they can definitely special order one for you.
Will they grow in Central Florida? I have seen old photos of them growing in South Florida, but they could have given the wrong name (For another Araucaria). Also, what exotic conifers are able to grow here without it being either too cold or too hot for them?
I suggest consulting with the Montgomery Botanical Center in Coral Gables or Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville. Araucaria araucana might be problematic, as they're adapted to life in the Andes Mountains of Chile, which is what I imagine to be a radically different climate from central Florida.
I bought 5 and planted them about 15 years ago. About 12 inches tall initially. only 1 died and the largest was about 50 feet tall last month when I sold my house. I lived in Atlantic Beach Florida, just east of Jacksonville and about 2 blocks from the ocean
They grow well in Savannah, GA.
When researching a plant or animal, the best thing is locate an area where the plant is found and do a weather search. In the case of the monkey puzzle tree, it is found in the Reserve Nacional Villarrica in Chile towards the southern end of its range. According to weather data, although the highest average temperature throughout the year in the (southern equator) summer is in the 80's, it has seen temps of over 100 F occasionally. Although the (southern) winters in its range rarely drop below freezing, it has experienced, and survived temps below 0 F. How much of these extremes it can take for how long is the question. Humidity and rainfall in the area seem to be about the middle range.
Hello. I live in Ukraine (Cherkasy region) and I want to plant such a tree at home. Will it feel good in this area?
Hello Maria ... I have no idea what kind of climate exists in the Cherkasy region, so your question is not easy to answer. I know that winter temperatures below -15°C will certainly kill it. The plant also likes very rocky, well draining soil because it is quite prone to fungal root diseases.
David Olszyk, thank you very much for your reply! Could you advise where it is better to order the seed material (seeds, seedlings) of the Aruacaria araucana.?
Hello once again, Maria ... if you were in the United States, it would be much easier for me to answer your question. It's simply not possible for me to know who would be willing to send seeds or plants to Ukraine. A Google search should help get you there. Good luck.
I have fungus on monkey puzzle. What treatment?
I have tested that some Chilean araucaria, tree seeds, in a lightly shaded place are able to successfully overwinter partialy in the ground at -21celsium degries for some days, and furter 2 months in winter conditions, and in next spring come out with 98% probablity.
New seedlings can withstand -23 degrees C, at -24C can also die 50% of the population.
Seedlings can be infected with fungal diseases in subsequent years. Seedlings begin to turn yellow, brown from the top, but the problem is at the bottom of the stem - at the roots. Or at the root collar.
If it happens then within 1-2 years it withers.
I bought mine on Amazon/Etsy.
I bought it at 6 inches and it's about 3 feet now, 3 years later.
So it grows like mad. by experimentation, miracle grow and palm
fertilizer both seem to help it grow, I couldn't see much difference.
I can't figure out how to get a picture onto this website.
We have a 5 to 6-year-old monkey puzzle tree growing too close to the house foundation for it's expected mature size. How can we "air-layer" and/or propagate some branch tips to insure we'll have nice healthy copies to transplant out and further away from the house? Do we need a mist propagation bed or special hormones? thanks
Hi Robert, Araucaria roots pretty easily from cuttings, but there's a problem: cuttings are very slow to the point of never achieving apical dominance, so the result is a sprawling, rooted branch instead of a tree. These are 100% reproduced from seed. It's also the major reason why we don't see named cultivars in this genus.
See the recent biography - Planting the World: Joseph Banks and His Collectors..., Jordan Goodman, Williams Collins, for details about one of the first documented collecting of the monkey puzzle tree by one of Banks' collectors - Archibald Menzies.
I am/was a member of the American Conifer Society for the primary interest of learning as much as I could about the Araucaria araucana (Monkey Puzzle Tree). My wife and I currently operate what I would say is the largest nursery dedicated to growing this species from seed. I say the largest since I have not seen any other grower in North America that currently has >5,500 trees. The statement by David Olszyk i.e "it is quite prone to fungal root diseases" has sparked my attention. What do we know about such diseases and the treatment of these diseases. I have experienced many different issues growing this species and looking for all resources and education I can get my hands on. Thanks
Hi Ramon ... Google is our friend. A simple search returned the following:
https://www.google.com/search?q=root+disease+araucaria+araucana&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS710US710&oq=root+disease&aqs=chrome.0.35i39j69i57j0j0i20i263j0l4.2815j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Where can I purchase a Monkey Puzzle tree? We planted one in a sunny area of our back yard, but we think that it had too much water as it’s branches curled and then turned brown. I miss it😢.
where do you live? In parts of the country where they do well, every garden center worth shopping at will have them.
What is a good way or even the right way to prune an Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle tree)?
I have never heard of anybody even trying to prune one of these. What is your intent? I know that if you remove an actively growing shoot tip, it often kills the entire branch. I think all that can be done is to wear thick, protective clothing and do your best to remove the dead stuff from the internals. It's very dangerous work.
I have a two year old tree in our sunroom in Wisconsin and this thing is exploding in size. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it or if there’s anything I can do with it. I received it as a gift and it was only 8” tall. Now it’s a beautiful thriving 3’ tree and now I’m thinking I should give it to someone who would take care of it. Anyone interested?
I've heard you can prune the roots during the winter and keep them at a reasonable size. I have one on the way , so I hope so.
I've heard that Aracauraceae resent having their roots messed with it (very prone to water-borne fungal disease).
I have a list of over 100 Araucarias in the Greater Portland Oregon area that I have compiles during the last 3 years. I have many pictures. I’ve also written a brief article about them. Driving here for Uber gives me a chance to identify them and point them out to visitors. They are dinosaur trees and a marvelous reminder of how strong the will to survive is in all life.
I have recently acquired a sapling of a tree that i was told is a female Monkey puzzle tree. It id slender and approx a metre high. It has a much less spiny appearance with branches coming off the main stem. these are quite soft to touch and are a much lighter shade of green. Have searched through all my garden books but cannot find it at all. Would really appreciate it if someone can identify it and give some pointers to its cultivation and needs. Can send a picture .
Guy
if the foliage is "soft to the touch" then there's no way that it's Araucaria araucana.
Guy, send a photo to [email protected] It may be Araucaria heterophylla - Norfolk Island pine. You can Google images of that to see if that looks like your tree.
Seeking cultivars "Platifolia" and "Andenswerg". In Oregon.
I don't think any Araucaria cultivars of any sort exist in any quantity anywhere. This genus is notoriously difficult to propagate vegetatively. The propagules are purported to never develop apical dominance. That's why we only see seedlings for sale.
I have just purchased a 30" potted Monkey Puzzle, here on Vancouver Island, I am returning to Ontario........I know, I know, it is too tender....BUT....I really like the form, and am prepared to give it A LOT of TLC. Anybody any ideas on how I would go about over wintering it...??? Taking it indoors is not do-able.
Thanks in advance
There is a nice one around the corner from me in Palm Harbor, FL. Close to a hundred feet tall.