Monkey Puzzle Araucaria araucana

The monkey puzzle tree, originally from South America, is so-called after the owner of a specimen in 19th century Britain suggested that its unusual branches would puzzle even a monkey to climb.

When Araucaria araucana was first becoming popular in Britain in the mid-1850s, aside from 'Chilean pine', there was no common name and very few people had ever laid eyes on such an unusual tree. So when the proud owner of one such specimen was showing it to some guests, he remarked 'it would puzzle even a monkey to climb that' stuck, and the name was born.

In reality, it is not known whether a monkey could climb the tree or not as there are no such animals in its natural habitat in Chile and Argentina. However, the small, sharp leaves could certainly make any such attempted activity perilous.

Araucaria araucana was discovered by a Spanish explorer called Don Francisco Dendariarena in the 17th century. He had been sent on a mission to South America by the Spanish government to seek out timber for building and repairing ships while the continent was being explored.

The tree was introduced to Britain in 1795 by Archibald Menzies, a botanist and naval surgeon. Having been served the seeds of the tree as a dessert while dining with the governor of Chile, he stowed them on board the ship, and returned to England with five healthy plants.

One of these original monkey puzzles was at Kew until it died in 1892. Araucaria araucana is generally thought to live to about 150 years, depending on its habitat. While they thrive in damp conditions such as the rainforests of South America, they tend to struggle where it is dry, shaded or polluted.