the.com/monkeypuzzle
A tree so spiky monkeys won't climb it, named by a man who'd never seen a monkey try.
means A South American evergreen conifer (Araucaria araucana) with sharp, overlapping triangular leaves spiralling up its branches, grown as an ornamental tree.
from An English coinage from the 1800s. The popular story credits a remark made when a specimen was shown off in Cornwall: a barrister supposedly quipped that climbing it 'would puzzle a monkey.' The phrase 'monkey puzzler' stuck, then shortened to 'monkey puzzle' — even though the tree is native to Chile and Argentina, where monkeys don't actually live among its branches.
- ancient lineage
- Living fossil dating to the dinosaur era
- naming origin
- Joke that climbing it would puzzle a monkey
- chile native
- Sacred to Mapuche people for edible seeds
- lifespan
- Individual trees can live over 1,000 years
- armor plated
- Sharp scale-leaves cover trunk and branches
araucaria araucana — coniferous tree native to chile and argentina, named for its puzzle-like interlocking branches
monkey puzzle tree estate — historic victorian garden in cornwall, england, planted with specimen araucaria trees in the 1880s