Monkey Puzzle
Araucaria araucana
A novelty nut for the very long term; only worth it for the seeds if you have space for several trees of both sexes.
Araucaria araucana, commonly called the pewen, monkey-puzzle, pehuen or piñonero or Chile pine, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Araucariaceae and growing to a height of 30–40 m (98–131 ft) and a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft). Native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina, it is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
At a glance
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Water need
- Medium
- Mature height
- 20 m
- Maintenance
- Low
- Hardiness
- USDA 7–9
- Layers
- canopy
Functional roles
Pollination & soil
Dioecious — you need a male and a female tree for the edible seeds.
- Soil
- medium/loam
- pH
- Acid, Neutral
Deep, free-draining, slightly acid soil.
Propagation
How to make more of this plant for free — the permaculture way.
When: Sow fresh seed autumn
Grows happily in the UK; the large 'piñones' are edible cooked. Needs a male and female for seed.
Where to get it
Read more
Seed data pending expert review. Identification photo and description are sourced from Wikipedia/Wikimedia; always confirm a plant in person before eating any part of it.