Monkey puzzle

I've always admired monkey puzzles but never owned one. That changed when we moved into our current house 8 years ago. We felt settled and knew that this house would be our long term residence.

So in the spring of 2015 I bought one, a little guy about 12" tall. Fast forward to today and this is it now, about 6', and looking great, I love this tree.

Show us your monkey puzzles!

 

There was one in the garden next door to my aunt. It had an elegant look but was taller than the house !

 

I like them, they have a very distinctive look and unmistakable.
I've never tried growing one, often seen youngish plants losing they lower branches far too early and going brown.

I think they like a mild climate with a good rainfall.

When I worked, and mostly in my early years, we used a timber called Parana pine for stair strings, I believe it comes from a relative of this tree, sometimes called Chile pine.

 

I did grow Araucaria heterophylla in a pot from seed for a few years, but not being hardy it finally went to the compost heap in the sky.

 

They are extremely common around where we live but most of them are young trees, no more than 10-15ft tall.

However, in a local park not far from me there is a true leviathan, an eye opening reminder just how big these things can grow.

It develops "fruit/seed pods" at the ends of its highest branches. They're like huge spiny footballs, a sight to behold.

That one of mine will far outlive our tenure in the house. If future owners leave it be one day it'll dwarf every tree and house on the estate.

I'd love to come back in a hundred years and see what it's turned into.

 

There is one in a cemetery where I go, its fairly big and drops those large spiny seed from those large cones.
I dont think the seed is viable as I've never managed to get them to germinate.
Might be wrong But I think you get male and female trees.

 

Have grown a few from seed. Didnt really look after them properly, Gave most away. Kept a nice one thats twin stemmed.
But boy do they hurt when they prick you. No wonder the dinosaurs left them well alone.

 

Apparently this is the base of the trunk of the world's largest monkey puzzle tree. It is in Chile and is about 6.5 metres girth and around 1800 years old!!!

What tickles me about this pic is the tiny monkey puzzle tree in the background. By the looks of it I'd say it is probably slightly bigger than mine is now.

If I live until i'm about 1900 years old, and I look out of my front window, then that huge thing is what I'd probably see, lol.

 

I agree Loofah, they're lethal!

 

A lot of people grow them without realising how big they get, so they put the little plant in the front garden not far from the house.
The mature trees have the interesting habit of dropping the occasional branch unexpectedly.
The seeds are edible, but the tree needs to be 30 - 40 years old before seed production begins.

 

I believe it was introduced to Britain by Archibald Menzies who nicked a few seeds from the governor of Chile's dining table.
Or so the story goes.