Have you seen my monkey? (Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana))

Member Name: jaggynettles

Product:	Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana)
Date:	18/02/06 (7817 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Exotic, Sturdy, last a life time and thensome

Disadvantages: A slow starter

The first memory I had of Monkey Puzzle trees was as a toddler, playing beside one in my great-grandmother's front garden in the heart of Edinburgh. Looking back, it was an incredibly strange place to find a Monkey Puzzle tree - an exotic, orphaned misfit amidst a row of run-down terraced houses and melodious rose gardens.

Unfortunately no-one in my family claimed to know how it got there so in my teens I decided to do some investigating of my own. I discovered that the first Monkey Puzzle trees in Edinburgh were planted en-masse in Lauriston Gardens in 1843, around 40 years after their introduction into Britain. From this, I could only conclude, knowing the "resourcefulness" of mum's side of the family, that someone had "borrowed" some seeds or off-cuts from Lauriston and planted them in my great-gran's garden. The tree was in its mature phase when I first met it, so at a guess, it was probably planted in the early 1900s.

Having such fond memories of this first tree, it's safe to say I have a developed a healthy obsession with them over the years.


SOUTH AMERICA

The monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is an evergreen conifer and indigenous to the Andes mountain range spanning Argentina and Chile. It is also thought to be the closest living relative to the trees from the Carboniferous period which occurred 280 million years ago. The Pehuenche Indians, native to Chile, have long believed that the Monkey Puzzle is sacred, and their seeds form the basis of their diet to this day.


THE UK

Studies on pre-Ice Age pollen fossils show that these trees were once native to the British Isles, making this amazing species at least 60 million years old. It was Scots botanist, by Archibald Menzies who re-introduced the tree back into the UK, in 1795, after Kew Gardens commissioned him to take part in a scientific study of plants in Chile.

According to reports, he was served the Araucaria araucana seeds as a dessert, at a dinner held by the Governor of Chile. He pocketed a few of the strange looking seeds and later sowed them in pots on the deck of Cook's ship - the Discovery, on the return voyage to England. Upon his return, Menzies had 5 healthy plants, one of which was planted in Kew, another in his Perthshire home and the others were kept for research.


THE NAME

There is no one definitive answer to the question of how Araucaria araucana came to be known as the Monkey Puzzle tree. Some say it is because the branches are shaped like monkey tails, whilst others claim it came from a comment by one of Menzie's colleagues who thought the tree would be a puzzle for a monkey to climb. The former story seems more likely than the latter though, since there are no primates native to the foothills of the Andes, or indeed the UK.


BATTLES OF THE SEXES

The Monkey Puzzle is "dioecious". This means that there are both male and female specimens of the tree. Both are required for the production of sowable seeds. On rare occasions some trees have both male and female cones, but these are few and far between in the UK. The difference between the sexes is quite easy to deduce. The female tree produces big, round cones (up to 12 cm long) and the male tree produces long, thin cones. The female cones generally take 2 years to reach maturity and they each contain around 200 seeds. However, without a male around, the seeds of the female are completely hollow and can not be re-planted.


LOOK AND FEEL

The Monkey Puzzle tree forms a symmetrical, triangular shape in its youth with the lower branches sweeping the ground, but as it matures, the lower branches fall off and are not replaced. Eventually, as the tree grows taller, the branches flatten out and form a more rounded crown shape. The deep green coloured leaves that form each branch have very sharp points and feel leathery and stiff to the touch. The density of these leaves along the branch increases the higher up the tree they are.


GROWING YOUR OWN

You can buy Monkey Puzzle tree seeds on the internet easily these days so you don't have to wait for your trees to mate! Although the plants are tolerant of the cold, the root systems of the seedling are very fragile and will die in prolonged periods of cold weather. For this reason, it's recommended that you don't sow your seeds until late February, when the weather starts to get warmer.

The seeds should be planted in a seed starting mix. They should not be buried, but rather, have at least half the seed sticking out in the air and keep the mixture slightly moist to the touch throughout germination.

Germination takes up to 2 months and the temperature should be kept at around 15°c. A few of my seeds took up to 4 months to sprout, so don't give up on them if nothing happens in the first couple of months.

As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, carefully replant them into separate pots. As mentioned before, the root system is very delicate so consequently the seedlings don't like a lot of movement. So, once planted, do not uproot them again for at least a year.


PATIENCE

The Monkey Puzzle is a slow starter but the rewards are great. It can take 5 years for the tree to grow its first 5 cm but after that there's no stopping it and a healthy tree will normally grow a foot per year - particularly in the summer months.


PRUNING

Pruning the tree is not for the faint-hearted. I'd recommend getting a specialist tree surgeon in to do the job as the branches are incredibly sharp and spikey. If you do take on the job yourself, you'll need an extra thick pair of gardening gloves and goggles. Only the dead branches should be removed (the brown ones) annually and don't worry if you have a lot of these, it doesn't mean your tree is dying. Money Puzzle trees can shed hundreds of branches over the year. The branches can also be removed at any time of the year without causing it any harm. Pruning is good for the tree as it this allows the younger, healthy branches a chance to reach for the sunlight.

Monkey Puzzles are made of stern stuff so if for any reason you find you have to remove green branches - for example: if they are over-hanging into a neighbour's garden, they can be be trimmed anywhere along the branch without having an adverse effect on the tree's health.


ENDANGERED SPECIES:

Unfortunately, the monkey puzzle tree may be headed for extinction in its native lands. With a rapidly changing global climate, thousands of acres of Monkey Puzzle forests in Chile have been destroyed by fire in the last 5 years. It's up to us to help save this ancient tree.



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BUYING INFORMATION

FAMILY:
Araucariaceae (Chile Pine family)

SCENT:
None

FLOWERS:
Small, with yellow petals

ENVIRONMENT:
Monkey Puzzles like just about any soil apart from very dry and hot soils. They don't like being water-logged either so ensure there is good drainage. The base of the tree should not be covered by other plants or decorative stones as this effects the temperature of the roots. Despite being a native of volcanic soils, it thrives in the UK particularly on the coast where winds are salt winds.

MINIMUM TEMPERATURE:
-10°C, though not for extended periods of time

DIMENSIONS:
Up to 70 feet tall and 35 feet wide

BUYING
If you can't be bothered ringing around your local garden centres then believe it or not, Ebay is the easiest and cheapest way of buy Monkey Puzzles. Sellers offer a range of options from seeds (approx £5) to young trees (£10 - £100). And if you do decide to go for it, good luck! Spread the monkey puzzle love!

Summary: Monkey Puzzles make a fun, long-lasting addition to any garden.