The common name of ‘monkey puzzle’ was coined during the mid-1800s when Charles Austin, a noted barrister, on seeing the tree for the first time commented that climbing the spiny, spiralling branches would be a puzzle even for a monkey.
Is monkey puzzle tree rare?
Araucaria araucana outlasted the dinosaurs, but today scientific experts consider the tree endangered. Cultivated monkey puzzle trees grow in gardens and parks around the world, but in the wild the species only grows along the slopes of Patagonia’s volcanoes in Chile and Argentina.
Why are monkey puzzle trees endangered?
Although the tree was declared a natural monument in Chile in 1976 to afford it protection from logging, the species is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of illegal felling activity and habitat fragmentation in its native habitat.
Is the fruit of the monkey puzzle tree edible?
Eventually reaches 30 m (100 ft) high, but slow growing, 2 m (7 ft) in 10 years) and doesn’t fruit for 40 years (so plant some for your descendants!) The large seeds, produced in huge cones, are edible with a chestnut flavour.
Why is it called monkey puzzle tree? – Related Questions
Can you keep monkey puzzle trees in pots?
A good way of getting the best from your tree is to keep it in a pot for a few years, this way it will become an unusual feature of your patio and eventually when it has outgrown this enviroment it can be planted well away from the house.
How long do monkey puzzle trees live?
Its spine-like needles acted as protection from ancient grazing animals now long extinct. It can live for 1,000 years and grows to 50m high with a trunk diameter of over 3m. Its large seeds, pinones, take two years to mature.
Do monkey puzzle trees have deep roots?
In ideal growing conditions, the Monkey Puzzle tree tap root can extend half of the height of the tree. For example, if the tree is 20 meters tall, the taproot could stretch 10 meters below the surface. The fine roots that absorb water will be close to the surface; most of them less than 30 centimeters below the soil.
How tall is a 10 year old monkey puzzle tree?
The monkey puzzle tree is a slow grower, reaching 6m x 3m after 10 years. However, it ultimately reaches 25m in height and 10m wide, so this is only a tree for a large garden. It can live for over 1,000 years.
Are monkey puzzle trees hard to grow?
The monkey puzzle tree has shiny, tough foliage with spiky, sharp tips that grow upward in whorls. With an open and airy habit, large cones appear on both male and female specimens. The plant is actually very easy to grown.
Are monkey puzzle trees cold hardy?
The official hardiness range for the monkey puzzle tree is USDA zones 7 to 10, but it is borderline in warmer regions and does not tolerate dry weather. It can survive brief temperatures down to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
How fast do monkey puzzle trees grow in a year?
Its growth is exponential though, and after 10 years a height of 6 to 10 feet should be attained and thereafter perhaps 6 to 12 inches per year. It matures, i.e. produces seed, after about 30 years when it will be about 30 to 40 feet high.
How quickly do monkey puzzles grow?
The monkey puzzle is a very slow growing tree that can take 5 – 10 years before it even gets above grass height and then grows around 35 cm a year.
Can you cut the bottom branches off a monkey puzzle tree?
Unless you’re shaping your tree, just remove any low-growing branches or dead and broken branches in the early spring to clean your tree up.
Can you take a cutting from a monkey puzzle tree?
You can also propagate monkey puzzle tree by cuttings.
In spring, cut upwardly growing branches of about 10 cm, treat with rooting powder, and insert into sterile soil. It can take root and sprout in about 45 days.
How often do you water monkey puzzle trees?
During the first growing season, it is necessary for you to water your monkey puzzle tree once per week or once every two weeks.
Can you overwater a monkey puzzle tree?
Generally, an overwatered Monkey puzzle tree will have yellowing leaves and may even drop some leaves. Also, overwatering can cause the overall structure of your plant to shrivel and may also promote root rot.
Can you keep a monkey puzzle tree indoors?
Growing Monkey Puzzle Indoors
with a spread as wide as 35 feet (11 m.). Plant the small specimen in a well-draining houseplant mix. Locate growing monkey puzzles in containers near a sunny, south or west facing window.
How often do monkey puzzle trees flower?
Female trees produce edible seeds. Male flower cones are produced on egg-shaped cylindrical catkins 3-5in long. The pollen sheds in July. Female flower cones are ovoid and larger, and they take two seasons to develop. They appear in the spring of one year and shed their seeds in August or September of the next.
How can you tell if a monkey puzzle tree is male or female?
Do monkey flowers come back every year?
It is really a trailing perennial with yellow flowers, but it can be grown as an annual.
