code: 740
SOW SEEDS AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVE ABOUT HALF AN INCH DEEP IN GOOD
Family: Araucariaceae
Common name: MONKEY PUZZLE, CHILE PINE
Minimum Height: 2.0 meters
Maximum Height: 20.0 meters
Packet Content(approx.): 4
Leathery, spine-tipped leaves clad long spidery branches, which are geometrically arrayed around the trunk like spokes of a cartwheel. One level is produced each year enabling the age of the tree to be easily calculated. When mature this is one of the most handsome, graceful and noble of all the world’s trees. Freshly-collected, refrigerated seed is offered, which must be sown on receipt.
Sowing advice:
sow seeds as soon as they arrive about half an inch deep in good, loamy, well-drained compost. do not allow pot to dry out. keep at 70 degrees f, or 20 degrees c until germination occurs which can be very slow. grow on in a deep pot until the roots penetrate the bottom after which plant out in required bed. give plenty of room as they grow large after 100 years or so.
Habitat:
Its native habitat is the lower slopes of the Chilean and Argentinian south-central Andes, typically above 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Juvenile trees exhibit a broadly pyramidal or conical habit which naturally develops into the distinctive umbrella form of mature specimens as the tree ages. It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic, volcanic soil, but will tolerate almost any soil type provided it drains well.
Seed dispersal:
Araucaria araucana is a masting species, and rodents are important consumers and dispersers of its seeds. The long-haired grass mouse, Abrothrix longipilis, is the most important animal responsible for dispersing the seeds of A. araucana. This rodent buries seeds whole in locations favorable for seed germination, unlike other animals.
