Scientific Name:
Araucaria araucana
Pronunciation:
air-ah-KAIR-ee-uh air-ah-KAY-nuh
Common Name:
monkey puzzle tree
Family Name:
Araucariaceae
Plant Type:
Conifer
Key ID Features:
Branches horizontal, in whorls of five from trunk; leaves unique, rigid, awls ovate-lanceolate, sharply pointed, closely overlapping, symmetrically whorled, most 3-5cm long x 1-2cm wide (broader than China fir leaves), long persisting (even on trunk); dioecious, pollen cones cylindrical, 5-8(-15)cm long x 3-5(-10)cm wide; seed cones globular, 8-15cm wide, scales with a long triangular recurved point; seeds 2.5-4cm long x 0.7-1.5cm wide plus 2 small even wings. Conifers.org
Habit:
Open
Form:
Oval - vertical, Round
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
South America (Argentina and Chile)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Specimen plant, Tall background, Winter interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Scale-like
Arrangement:
Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous, Distinctive smell
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate, Acute, Mucronate
Bases:
Decurrent, Truncate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
n/a (male cone)
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Colour (petals):
Male cone, Brown
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Fruit Type:
Cone (winged seeds)
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Cones take 2-3 years to mature; seeds are edible
Bark Morphology:
Exfoliating, Single stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings, Softwood cuttings, Hardwood cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Protect young plants from winter severe winter weather if below zone 8.
Pest Susceptibility:
Root rot, Scale insects (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
