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Monkey puzzle tree is a weird looking tree, similar to the closely related bunya-bunya tree (Araucania bidwillii) and Norfolk Island pine (A. heterophylla). Monkey puzzle tree is a coniferous evergreen with evenly spaced tiers of horizontal-spreading branches arranged in regular whorls about the trunk. In the wild it gets 50-100 ft (15-30.5 m) tall and 20-30 ft ( 6.1-9.1 m) wide, but rarely over 30 ft (9.1 m) tall in cultivation. Monkey puzzle tree is distinctly cone-shaped, with branches all the way to the ground when young. The tree loses its lower branches and develops a rounded crown with age. The dark gray-brown bark has horizontal ridges. The triangular leaves are tough, leathery, and sharply pointed. They are 1-2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) long and very densely spaced on ropelike branchlets. Individual leaves persist on the tree for 10-15 years before being replaced. Female cones are rounded-egg-shaped, up to 6 in (15 cm) long and take 2-3 years to ripen. Several selections have been named, including some that are dwarf, some with yellowish foliage, and some with fewer branches and a more open habit.
Location
Monkey puzzle tree does best where the summers are cool and humid, and they are popular landscape oddities in England. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Moisture: Likes a moist, but well drained soil and regular watering. Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 - 10. This is the most hardy Araucaria, and the only one that can be grown outdoors in temperate climates. Propagation: By seeds or by tip cuttings from vertical shoots. Cuttings from lateral-growing shoots will develop into sprawling shrubs.
Usage
Features  WARNINGMonkey puzzle tree drops branchlets and sharp-pointed leaves almost continuously. Steve Christman 3/6/00; updated 10/22/04
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