"Monkey Puzzle" Tree

Also known as the Chilean Pine.

Botanical name, Araucaria araucana.

Fantastic tree seen few of them around where i live,Theres 1 that stands 50ft high or more with big cone things on tips r they the seeds?

They do grow HUGE, Jacque. I look out of the tearoom at one which dominates the skyline - must be at least 100 years old. It is in the grounds of a long-established zoological park. The one in this pic is only c.7ft high, so very young (there are 2 and they weren't here when we last visited this park in August). Cones are either male or female and the ones we usually see are female, and contain the seeds (the males are less noticeable, and contain the pollen). That's all I seem to remember from reading somewhere. SOS to Bluespruce (again) perhaps?

I just love this specimen...!

Does one need a midlatitude marine climate to grow this specimen?

Hi Lori! Well, all these terms - multilatitudinal, etc. Was like learning Greek for me, lol! I'm just used to reading planting instructions printed in England and adding on 4 weeks for here! Anyways, I did some research, and you would easily be able to grow this tree - as i already thought. Marine doesn't even come into the equation! (this tree originated in the Andes mts of Chile). Interestingly, since I saw this young one in a local park, I'm seeing them for sale in every garden centre here since. They may be this year's trendy plant, taking over from Dicksonia antartica (the Australian "Tree Fern"), which was the "must-have" specimen here for the past few years). A container-grown tree, under 2 ft high, costs £50 sterling, so is defintiely not an "impulse purchase" (even by Majeeka's standards, lol!). As mentioned already, they can grow to over 100 ft high, but, as that takes c.200 yrs, it's not our problem, is it?

Thankyou, David... Fifty pounds sterling would be about $125. Cdn.give or take a quid...lol and adding on 8 weeks for here..

Hi Lori! Now I'm seeing those Monkey Puzzles in more and more front gardens as I drive by. Some of them must be anything between 10 and 20 feet tall - must have been bought when they cost about £10 (circa $25 right? Gosh, I'm getting to grips with currency convertion). I'm just wondering how to get away with/justify buying one. I have space , in the front garden for one, and my wife is nagging at me to tackle that area, so - maybe, just maybe........................