Araucaria Araucana

Common name
Monkey Puzzle Tree

Family
Araucariaceae

Genus
Araucaria are evergreen trees from the Southern Hemisphere, with whorled branches bearing spirally arranged leaves that may be needle-like, triangular or scale-like, and small male, and large female cones, usually on separate trees. Fossil Foliage and cones dating back some 200 million years with Araucaria like characteristics have been recored in both hemispheres. The subsequent reduction and even extinction from the Northern Hemisphere left only nineteen living species.

Details
Hand grafted and propagated at Lime Cross Nursery Araucaria Araucana is a stately evergreen tree with branches clothed in sharply pointed, triangular dark green leaves. Dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. Male catkins are 10-centimetre-long clusters of narrow green stamens which turn yellow and then brown at the end of summer. Female catkins are spiny cones.

Soil Type: Normal, heavy clay, light sandy, chalk, loam.
Aspect: Partial shade, full sun.
Foliage Type: Evergreen.
Foliage Colour: Green needles.
Pot Size: 3 litre.
Ultimate Height: 12m, plus.
Ultimate Spread: 8m, plus.
Growth Rate: 20 - 50 years, plus.
Special Attributes: The Araucaria Forests of Chile are a great example of these ancient and majestic but endangered trees in their native habitat.