Monkey Puzzle Tree

The Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) is also known as the Chilean pine and is found growing naturally only in one place on earth- the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina. The tree is a member of one of the smallest families of plants-the Araucaria with only 18 species and only two of them grow in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is one of the tropical plants that grows in a good portion of the United States, USDA zones 7 to 10 and is the only one of its species that grows this far north.

The monkey puzzle tree is hard to describe, it has a very unusual appearance. Picture a cone-shaped, evergreen tree 50 to 100 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide with branches that spread out horizontally and reach all the way to the ground. The lower branches will fall away and the tree will change from a cone to round shape as it matures. The dark, gray- brown bark adds to the uniqueness of the tree with its horizontally-arranged branches.

The leaves have very sharp points, three sides, and measure 1 to 2 inches long with a life span of 10 to 15 years. The female cones are round to egg-shpaed, measure up to 6 inches long and stay on the tree for 2 to 3 years. Wear gloves when working with the tree. The points on the leaves can really hurt.

Female cones are rounded-egg-shaped, up to 6 in (15 cm) long and take 2-3 years to ripen. The tree will be either male or female and one of each is necessary for the female to produce seeds. They are edible, but one tree alone will still be beautiful.

The monkey puzzle tree likes humidity, full sun or partial shade and a moist well drained soil

This is one tree that is not for every one. It does not fit into a formal landscape with the unusual branching and it does cause a mess when the leaves, cones and branches fall off. The monkey puzzle tree is not a tree for small areas either. It needs plenty of space to grow and spread out. But, for the gardener who like something different, something that makes visitors sit up and take notice, the monkey puzzle tree may just do the trick.

Floridata:
University of Florida