Araucaria araucana AKA monkey puzzle tree/ monkey tail tree/
Chilean pine/ pehuén) is an evergreen tree growing up to a whopping 40 m (130
ft) tall with a 2-m (7-ft) trunk diameter. Monkey Puzzles are known as the hardiest of
all conifers and due to their incredible age are also described as a living
fossil. The tree is native to Chile and
Argentina and is officially classified as an endangered species. It was discovered in about 1780 by a Spanish
explorer and brought to England by Archibald Menzies in 1795. Menzies was a
plant collector and naval surgeon on Captain George Vancouver's
circumnavigation of the globe, travelling in Captain James Cook's old ship, HMS
Discovery. He feasted on the seeds of this conifer as dessert while dining with
the governor of Chile and later sowed them in a frame on the quarter deck,
returning home to England with five healthy plants. One of these monkey puzzles
could be seen at Kew until it died in 1892.
The common name alludes to the fact that the task of
climbing the tree, with its sharp branches tightly clothed with spiny leaves,
would puzzle even a monkey.
Here at Lime Cross Nursery we have been growing Monkey Puzzles from seeds since the 1970s. We have a truly outstanding collection of specimens all aged around 20 years old, priced at £350.00 each. We can ship to any part of the UK- purchase through Ebay or give us a call. N.B- shipping tariff is for a pallet.
Monkey Puzzle Walk at Woodstock in Ireland
We visited Woodstock last August with The British Conifer Society, where we found an utterly awe-inspiring avenue of Monkey Puzzles.
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