{{Short description|Chilean and Argentine coniferous tree}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Speciesbox | image = Araucaria_en_Parque_Nacional_Conguillio.jpg | status = EN | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref =<ref name=Premoli-Quiroga-Gardner-2013> {{cite iucn |last1=Premoli |first1=A. |last2=Quiroga |first2=P. |last3=Gardner |first3=M. |year=2013 |title=''Araucaria araucana'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T31355A2805113 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T31355A2805113.en <!-- |access-date=12 November 2021 -- url req. --> }} </ref> | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref =<ref name=CITES>{{cite web |title=Appendices |website=Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (cites.org) |url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php |access-date=2022-01-14 }}</ref> | genus = Araucaria | species = araucana | parent = Araucaria sect. Araucaria | authority = (Molina) K. Koch }}
'''''Araucaria araucana''''', commonly called the <!-- native Mapudungun name first, used in academic journals -->'''pewen''', '''monkey-puzzle''',<ref name="PlantAtlas">{{cite web | title=Monkey-puzzle ''Araucaria araucana'' (Molina) K.Koch | url=https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.d3e | website=PlantAtlas | access-date=8 October 2025}}</ref> '''pehuen''' or '''piñonero''' or Chile pine, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Araucariaceae and growing to a height of {{cvt|30–40|m|ft|abbr=on}} and a trunk diameter of {{cvt|1-1.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina, it is the hardiest species in the conifer genus ''Araucaria''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Native areas |department=Araucaria araucana |website=Kew Royal Botanic Gardens |url=http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Araucaria-araucana.htm |access-date=20 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516000841/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Araucaria-araucana.htm |archive-date=16 May 2012 }}</ref>
It is also the national tree of Chile<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NAJHRVPSjr4C |title=Chile Footprint Handbook |last=Jani |first=Janak |year=2009 |publisher=Footprint Travel Guides |isbn=9781906098780 |pages=332 |language=en}}</ref> and of the neighboring Argentine province of Neuquén. The IUCN changed its conservation status to Endangered in 2013, because logging, forest fires, and grazing have caused its population to dwindle.<ref name=Premoli-Quiroga-Gardner-2013/>
== Description == The leaves are thick, tough, and scale-like, triangular, {{convert|3|–|4|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|1|–|3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} broad at the base, and with sharp edges and tips. According to {{harvp|Lusk|2001}}, the leaves remain attached and stay live for up to 24 years<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lusk |first=Christopher H. |year=2001 |title=Leaf life spans of some conifers of the temperate forests of South America |journal=Revista Chilena de Historia Natural |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=711–718 |doi=10.4067/S0716-078X2001000300017 |url=http://rchn.biologiachile.cl/pdfs/2001/3/Lusk_2001.pdf |access-date=6 November 2017 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and so cover almost all of the tree, except for the older branches.
It is usually dioecious, with the male and female cones on separate trees, though occasional individuals bear cones of both sexes. The male (pollen) cones are oblong and cucumber-shaped, {{convert|4|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long at first, expanding to {{convert|8|–|12|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|5|–|6|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} broad at pollen release. It is wind pollinated. The female (seed) cones, which mature in autumn about 18 months after pollination, are globose, large, {{convert|12|–|20|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} diameter, and hold about 200 seeds. The cones disintegrate at maturity to release the {{convert|3|–|4|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long nut-like seeds.{{citation needed |date=November 2025}}
The thick bark of ''Araucaria araucana'', up to 15 cm thick, may be an adaptation to wildfire.<ref name=SanmayDonoso95>{{cite book |last1=Veblen |first1=T.T. |last2=Kitzberger |author-link1=Thomas T. Veblen |first2=Thomas |last3=Burns |first3=Bruce R. |last4=Rebertus |first4=Alan J. |year=1995 |editor-last=Armesto |editor-first=Juan J. |editor-last2=Villagrán |editor-first2=C. |editor-last3=Arroyo |editor-link2=Carolina Villagrán |editor-first3=Mary Kalin |editor-link3=Mary Kalin Arroyo |title=Ecología de los bosques nativos de Chile |language=es |trans-title=Ecology of the native forests of Chile |chapter=Perturbaciones y dinámica de regeneración en bosques andinos del sur de Chile y Argentina |trans-chapter=Natural disturbance and regeneration dynamics in Andean forests of southern Chile and Argentina |place=Santiago, Chile |publisher=Editorial Universitaria |pages=169–198 |isbn=978-956-11-1284-1 }}</ref>
== Taxonomy == The nearest extant relative is ''Araucaria angustifolia'', a South American ''Araucaria'' from Brazil and northeastern Argentina, which differs in the narrower leaves and shorter bract spines on the seed cones. Members of other sections of the genus ''Araucaria'' occur in Pacific Islands and in Australia, and include ''Araucaria cunninghamii'', ''Araucaria heterophylla'', and ''Araucaria bidwillii''.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Setoguchi | first1=Hiroaki | last2=Asakawa Osawa | first2=Takeshi | last3=Pintaud | first3=Jean-Christophe | last4=Jaffré | first4=Tanguy | last5=Veillon | first5=Jean-Marie | title=Phylogenetic relationships within Araucariaceae based on rbcL gene sequences | journal=American Journal of Botany | volume=85 | issue=11 | date=1998 | issn=0002-9122 | doi=10.2307/2446478 | pages=1507–1516 | jstor=2446478 | url=https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/2446478 | access-date=2025-10-08| url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== Habitat == thumb|upright|left|Distribution map of ''A. araucana'' in central Chile The tree's native habitat is the lower slopes of the Chilean and Argentine south-central Andes, approximately between {{cvt|1000|m|ft|-2}} and {{cvt|1700|m|ft|-2}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Puchi |first1=Paulina F. |last2=Camarero |first2=J. Julio |last3=Battipaglia |first3=Giovanna |last4=Carrer |first4=Marco |date=December 2021 |title=Retrospective analysis of wood anatomical traits and tree-ring isotopes suggests site-specific mechanisms triggering ''Araucaria araucana'' drought-induced dieback |journal=Global Change Biology |language=en |volume=27 |issue=24 |pages=6394–6408 |doi=10.1111/gcb.15881 |pmid=34514686 |issn=1354-1013|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021GCBio..27.6394P |hdl=11577/3416775 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> In the Chilean Coast Range ''A. araucana'' can be found as far south as Villa Las Araucarias (latitude 38°30' S) at an altitude of {{nobr|640 m {{sc|amsl}}.}}<ref name=assets>{{cite web |title=Villa las Araucarias |website=Chilean Ministry of National Assets (patrimonio.bienes.cl) |url=https://patrimonio.bienes.cl/patrimonio/villa-las-araucarias/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |language=es }}</ref> Juvenile trees exhibit a broadly pyramidal or conical habit which naturally develops into the distinctive umbrella form of mature specimens as the tree ages.<ref>{{cite book | first=Michael A. | last=Arnold | year=2004 | title=Landscape Plants for Texas and Environs | edition=3rd | chapter=''Araucaria araucana'' | publisher=Aggie Horticulture | isbn=978-1-58874-746-4 | chapter-url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/308/Old/Lists/second%20ed/Araucariaaraucana.pdf | access-date=13 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053339/http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/syllabi/308/Old/Lists/second%20ed/Araucariaaraucana.pdf | archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic, volcanic soil, but will tolerate almost any soil type provided it drains well. Seedlings are often not competitive enough to survive unless grown in a canopy gap or exposed isolated area. It is almost never found together with ''Chusquea culeou'', ''Nothofagus dombeyi'', and ''Nothofagus pumilio'', because they typically outcompete ''A. araucana''.<ref name=Finckh-Paulsch-1995>{{cite journal |last1=Finckh |first1=Manfred |last2=Paulsch |first2=Axel |date=November 1995 |title=''Araucaria araucana'' — die ökologische Strategie einer Reliktkonifere |language=de |trans-title=''Araucaria araucana'' – the ecological strategy of a relic conifer |journal=Flora |volume=190 |issue=4 |pages=365–382 |doi=10.1016/s0367-2530(17)30679-5 |issn=0367-2530 }}</ref>
== 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 favourable for seed germination, unlike other animals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shepherd |first1=J.D. |first2=R.S. |last2=Ditgen |year=2013 |title=Rodent handling of ''Araucaria araucana'' seeds |journal=Austral Ecology |volume=38 |pages=23–32 |doi=10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02366.x }}</ref><ref name=Sanguinetti-Kitzberger-2010/> Another important seed dispersal agent is the austral parakeet. Adult trees are highly resistant to large ecological disturbances caused by volcanic activity; after events like these, the parakeets play their role by dispersing the seeds far from affected territory.<ref name=Finckh-Paulsch-1995/>
==Threats== Logging, long a major threat, was finally banned in 1990. Large fires burned thousands of acres of Araucaria forest in 2001–2002,<ref name=global>{{cite web |title=Monkey puzzle |website=Global Trees (globaltrees.org) |url=http://globaltrees.org/threatened-trees/trees/monkey-puzzle/ }}</ref> and areas of national parks have also burned, destroying trees over 1300 years old.<ref name=Premoli-Quiroga-Gardner-2013/> Overgrazing and invasive trees are also threats.<ref name=Premoli-Quiroga-Gardner-2013/><ref name=global/> Extensive human harvesting of piñones (''Araucaria'' seeds) can prevent new trees from growing.<ref name=Premoli-Quiroga-Gardner-2013/> A Global Trees campaign project that planted {{gaps|2|000|trees}} found a 90 percent 10 year survival rate.<ref name=global/>
Another major threat to the survival of ''A. araucana'', is the presence of non-native seed eating species, in particular mammals, which have been shown to severely restrict the reproduction of the tree in comparison to native seed eaters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tella |first1=José L. |last2=Lambertucci |first2=Sergio A. |last3=Speziale |first3=Karina L. |last4=Hiraldo |first4=Fernando |date=April 2016 |title=Large-scale impacts of multiple co-occurring invaders on monkey puzzle forest regeneration, native seed predators and their ecological interactions |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |volume=6 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2016.01.001 |bibcode=2016GEcoC...6....1T |issn=2351-9894|hdl=11336/60818 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> However, it is still unclear as to how large a role these invasive species play in threatening this species of tree. One study in particular found that native species played a larger role in preventing reproduction through seed destruction.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rosa |first1=Clarissa |last2=Hegel |first2=Carla Grasiele Zanin |last3=Passamani |first3=Marcelo |date=2020-12-04 |title=Seed removal of Araucaria angustifolia by native and invasive mammals in protected areas of Atlantic Forest |url=http://repositorio.ufla.br/jspui/handle/1/50187 |journal=Biota Neotropica |language=en |volume=21 |article-number=e20201111 |doi=10.1590/1676-0611-BN-2020-1111 |issn=1676-0611|doi-access=free }}</ref> However, this may be due to the relatively recent introduction of the selected species, causing their population to be smaller than other invasive species.
A study conducted found that cattle ranching by small landowners and larger timber companies within the range of ''A. araucana'' severely affects regeneration of seedlings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zamorano-Elgueta |first1=Carlos |last2=Cayuela |first2=Luis |last3=González-Espinosa |first3=Mario |last4=Lara |first4=Antonio |last5=Parra-Vázquez |first5=Manuel R. |date=2012-08-01 |title=Impacts of cattle on the South American temperate forests: Challenges for the conservation of the endangered monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) in Chile |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320712001802 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=152 |pages=110–118 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.037 |bibcode=2012BCons.152..110Z |issn=0006-3207|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
{{anchor|Cultivation}}{{anchor|Uses}}
== Cultivation and uses == [[File:Monkey puzzle tree at Salesforce Park.jpg|thumb|Monkeypuzzle tree at Salesforce Park.]] ''Araucaria araucana'' is a popular garden tree, planted for the unusual effect of its thick, "reptilian" branches with very symmetrical appearance. It prefers temperate oceanic climates with abundant rainfall, tolerating temperatures down to about {{convert|-20|C}}. It is far and away the hardiest member of its genus, and can grow well in western and central Europe (north to the Faroe Islands and Smøla in western Norway<ref name="Palms in Scandinavia">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scanpalm.no/araucaria_english.html |title=Araucaria araucana in Ålesund, Norway |publisher=Scanpalm |access-date=27 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009232055/http://www.scanpalm.no/araucaria_english.html |archive-date=9 October 2009 }}</ref>), the west coast of North America (north to Baranof Island in Alaska), locally on the east coast as far north as Long Island, in the southern hemisphere south of its native range to southern Chile, and also in New Zealand and southeastern Australia. It is tolerant of coastal salt spray, but not air pollution.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Elwes |first1=Henry John |last2=Henry |first2=Augustine |year=1906 |title=The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland | volume=1 |publisher=(Privately printed) |location=Edinburgh, UK |page=54 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/19490793 }}</ref>
Its seeds ({{langx|arn|ngulliw}}, {{langx|es|piñones}}) are edible,<ref name=global /> similar to large pine nuts, and are harvested by indigenous peoples in Argentina and Chile.<ref>{{cite book |vauthors=Gallo LF, Izquierdo LJ, Sanguinetti A, Pinna G, Siffredi J, Ayesa C, Lopez A, Pelliza N, Strizler M, Gonzales-Peñalba L, Maresca, Chauchard L |display-authors=6 |year=2004 |section=''Araucaria araucana'' forest genetic resources in Argentina |pages=105–132 |veditors=Vinceti B, Amaral W, Meilleur B |title=Challenges in Managing Forest Genetic Resources for Livelihoods: Examples from Argentina and Brazil |publisher=International Plant Genetic Resources Institute }}</ref> The tree has some potential to be a food crop in other areas in the future, thriving in climates with cool oceanic summers, e.g., western Scotland, where other nut crops do not grow well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/its-hard-to-be-leaf-but-scotland-can-save-the-monkey-puzzle-tree-from-extinction/|title=It's hard to be leaf but Scotland can save the monkey puzzle tree from extinction|date=28 November 2017 }}</ref> A group of six female trees with one male for pollination could yield several thousand seeds per year. Since the cones drop, harvesting is easy. The tree, however, does not yield seeds until it is around 30–40 years old, which discourages investment in planting orchards (although yields at maturity can be immense); once established, individuals can achieve ages beyond {{gaps|1|000|years.}}<ref name=Luning-et-al-2019>{{cite journal | last1=Lüning | first1=Sebastian | last2=Gałka | first2=Mariusz | last3=Bamonte | first3=Florencia Paula | last4=Rodríguez | first4=Felipe García | last5=Vahrenholt | first5=Fritz | year=2019 | title=The medieval climate anomaly in South America | journal=Quaternary International | publisher=International Union for Quaternary Research (Elsevier) | volume=508 | issn=1040-6182 | doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2018.10.041 | pages=70–87 | bibcode=2019QuInt.508...70L | s2cid=133405753| url=https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00497/60854/101604.pdf }}</ref><ref name=Betti-et-al-2017>{{cite journal | last1=Aguilera-Betti | first1=Isabella | last2=Muñoz | first2=Ariel A. | last3=Stahle | first3=Daniel | last4=Figueroa | first4=Gino | last5=Duarte | first5=Fernando | last6=González-Reyes | first6=Álvaro | last7=Christie | first7=Duncan | last8=Lara | first8=Antonio | last9=González | first9=Mauro E. | last10=Sheppard | first10=Paul R. | last11=Sauchyn | first11=David | last12=Moreira-Muñoz | first12=Andrés | last13=Toledo-Guerrero | first13=Isadora | last14=Olea | first14=Matías | last15=Apaz | first15=Pablo | last16=Fernandez | first16=Alfonso |display-authors=6 | year=2017 | title=The first millennium-age ''Araucaria araucana'' in Patagonia | journal=Tree-Ring Research <!-- | publisher=Tree-Ring Society --> | volume=73 | issue=1 | issn=1536-1098 | doi=10.3959/1536-1098-73.1.53 | pages=53–56 | s2cid=133405753 }}</ref> Pest losses to rodents and feral pigs limits the yield for human consumption and forage fattening of livestock by ''A. araucana'' mast. The tree has a high degree of inter-year variability in mast volume, and this variation is synchronous within a given area. This evolved to take advantage of predator satiety.<ref name=Sanguinetti-Kitzberger-2008/>
Once valued because of its long, straight trunk, its current rarity and vulnerable status mean its wood is now rarely used; it is also sacred to some indigenous Mapuche.<ref>{{cite book | first1=Anna |last1=Lewington | first2=Edward | last2=Parker | name-list-style=amp | year=1999 | title=Ancient Trees | publisher=Collins & Brown | isbn=978-1-85585-974-6 }}</ref> Timber from these trees was used for railway sleepers to access many industrial areas around the port of Chile. Before the tree became protected by law in 1990, some timber mills in Araucanía Region specialised in its wood because its durability and resistance to decay meant it was excellent for making wood products such as veneers and plywood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oxford University Plants 400: Araucaria araucana |url=https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/plants400/Profiles/ab/Araucariaa |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk}}</ref>
The species is protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meaning international trade (including in parts and derivatives) is regulated by the CITES permitting system and commercial trade in wild sourced specimens is prohibited.<ref name=CITES/>
Many young specimens and seeds were brought or sent back to the England by William Lobb in the 19th century. While in Chile, he collected thousands of seeds of ''Araucaria araucana'' from the Araucanía Region while working for Veitch Nurseries, which is based in Exeter, England.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shephard |first=Sue |url=http://archive.org/details/seedsoffortunega0000shep |title=Seeds of fortune : a gardening dynasty |date=2003 |publisher=New York; London : Bloomsbury |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-58234-256-6}}</ref> Chris Page, a University of Exeter botanist working at Camborne School of Mines (CSM), planted specimens in disused china clay pits in the St Austell area as part of his research into regreening former extractive minerals sites, which he presented in 2017 in the UK Parliament, with Professor Hylke Glass, also of CSM, as co-author.<ref>{{cite web |title=Regreening of barren lands as new biodiversity reserves |date=Summer 2017 |website=Science in Parliament (scienceinparliament.org.uk) |url=http://www.scienceinparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/SiP-September-20171.pdf |pages=12–13 |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tributes – Royal Geological Society of Cornwall |url=https://geologycornwall.com/tributes/ |access-date=2026-02-26 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
''Araucaria araucana'' is locally naturalised in Great Britain, with e.g. many young self-sown trees at Kyloe Woods in Northumberland.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Swan | first1=George A. | last2=Lunn | first2=A. G. | last3=Richards | first3=A. J. | title=Flora of Northumberland | journal=Scientific Reports | volume=14 | issue=1 | date=1993 | isbn=0-9520782-0-1 | issn=2045-2322 | doi=10.1038/s41598-024-82956-w | doi-access=free | page=90 | pmid=39738309 }}</ref>
== Etymology == First identified by Europeans in Chile in the 1780s,<ref>The tree was first mentioned in 1780 by the Spaniard Francisco Dendariarena. See: * {{cite book |last1=Elwes |first1=Henry John |last2=Henry |first2=Augustine |year=1906 |title=The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland | volume=1 |publisher=(Privately printed) |location=Edinburgh, UK |pages=45–46 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-MbAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA45 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=Carl |year=1892 |title=''Pinetum danicum'' |journal=Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society |volume=14 |pages=257–480, esp. 341 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=22gXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA341 }} * {{cite book |last=Lambert |first=Aylmer Bourke |year=1832 |title=A description of the genus ''Pinus'' ... |publisher=Weddell |location=London, UK |volume=2 |pages=106–108 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKYZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA6}}</ref><ref>However, there are claims that the monkey puzzle tree was introduced to Europe after an expedition by the Dutch in 1642 from Brazil to Valdivia, Chile. See: * {{cite web |title=What the Trust does |website=Devon Gardens Trust (devongardenstrust.org.uk) |url=https://www.devongardenstrust.org.uk/?q=node/54 }} * {{cite book |last=Diedenhofen |first=Wilhelm |year=1990 |chapter="Belvedere", or the principle of seeing and looking in the gardens of Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen at Cleves |editor-last=Hunt |editor-first=John Dixon |title=The Dutch Garden in the Seventeenth Century |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |location=Washington, DC |pages=49–80, esp. 69 |isbn=978-0-88402-187-2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oY-o3pwNlbEC&pg=PA69 }}</ref> it was named ''Pinus araucana'' by J.I. Molina in 1782.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Molina |first1=G.I. |author-link=Juan Ignacio Molina |year=1782 |title=Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chili |url=https://archive.org/details/saggiosullastori01moli |trans-title=Essay on the natural history of Chile |publisher=S. Tomasso d'Aquino |location=Bologna, IT |page=[https://archive.org/details/saggiosullastori01moli/page/355 355] |language=it, la}} Available at: {{cite web |title=Real Jardín Botánico |language=es |trans-title=Royal Botanical Garden |website=CSIC (bibdigital.rjb.csic.es) |place=Madrid, ES |url=http://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/ing/Libro.php?Libro=192 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108224904/http://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/ing/Libro.php?Libro=192 |archive-date=8 November 2016 }}</ref> In 1789, de Jussieu described a new genus called ''Araucaria'' based on the species,<ref>{{cite book |last=de Jussieu |first=A.L. |author-link=Antoine Laurent de Jussieu |year=1789 |title=Genera plantarum: Secundum ordines naturales disposita, ... |trans-title=The genera of plants: Arranged according to the natural orders, ... |publisher=Herissant |location=Paris, FR |pages=413–414 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/7125#page/508/mode/1up |language=la}}</ref> and in 1797, Pavón published a new description of the species which he called ''Araucaria imbricata'' (an illegitimate name, as it did not use Molina's older species epithet).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pavón |first=J.A. |author-link=José Antonio Pavón |year=1797 |title=Disertacion botanica sobre los generos ''Tovaria'', ''Actinophyllum'', ''Araucaria'', y ''Salmia'', con la reunion de algunos que Linneo publicó como distintos |language=es |trans-title=Botanical dissertation on the genera ''Tovaria'', ''Actinophyllum'', ''Araucaria'', and ''Salmia'', with the recombining of some {{grey|[genera]}} that Linnaeus had published as {{grey|[being]}} distinct |journal=Memorias de la Real Academia Médica de Madrid [Memoirs of the Royal Medical Academy of Madrid] |volume=1 |pages=191–204, esp. 199 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucm.5327719583;view=1up;seq=259 }}</ref> Finally, in 1873, after several further redescriptions, Koch published the combination ''Araucaria araucana'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Koch |first1=Karl |author-link=Karl Koch (botanist) |year=1873 |title=Dendrologie. Bäume, Sträucher und Halbsträucher, welche in Mittel- und Nord-Europa im Freien kultivirt werden |language=de |trans-title=Dendrology. Trees, shrubs, and subshrubs which are cultivated outdoors in Middle and Northern Europe |publisher=Ferdinand Enke |location=Erlangen, DE |volume=2, part 2 |page=206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tYWaYlxL5nMC&pg=PA206 }}</ref> validating Molina's species epithet in the genus.
The name ''araucana'' is derived from the native Araucanians who used the nuts (seeds) of the tree in Chile – a group of Araucanians living in the Andes, the Pehuenches, owe their name to their diet based on the harvesting of the ''A. araucaria'' seeds; hence from ''pewen'' or its Hispanic spelling ''pehuén'' which means ''Araucaria'' and ''che'' means people in Mapudungun. They believe the ''pewen'' was given by a deity or ''gwenachen'' to nourish their offspring; many ''pewen'' gathering festivals (''ngillatun'') are celebrated in both Chile and Argentina in gratitude to the tree's sustenance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Canale |first1=Antonella |last2=Ladio |first2=Ana H. |date=March 2020 |title=La recolección de piñones de pewen (Araucaria araucana): Una situación significativa que conecta a niños mapuches con la naturaleza |language=es |trans-title=Harvesting ''pewen'' (''Araucaria araucana'', monkey puzzle tree) seeds: A significant situation that connects Mapuche children with nature |journal=Gaia Scientia |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=14 |doi=10.22478/ufpb.1981-1268.2020v14n1.47620 |hdl=11336/108775 |hdl-access=free |s2cid=226066386 }}</ref>
The origin of the popular English language name "monkey puzzle" lies in its early cultivation in Britain {{circa|1850}}, when the species was still very rare in gardens and not widely known. Sir William Molesworth, the owner of a young specimen at Pencarrow garden near Bodmin, Cornwall, was showing it to a group of friends when one of them, the lawyer Charles Austin, remarked ''"It would puzzle a monkey to climb that"''.<ref>{{cite news | last=Wilson | first=M. | author-link=Matthew Wilson (gardener) | date=5 July 2013 | title=Riddle of how the monkey puzzle tree came to be a UK favourite | newspaper=Financial Times | url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/2298f8dc-dfbf-11e2-9de6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3TPtSgOgB | url-access=subscription | url-status=live | access-date=14 May 2016 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210221228/https://www.ft.com/content/2298f8dc-dfbf-11e2-9de6-00144feab7de#axzz3TPtSgOgB | archive-date=10 December 2022 }}</ref> As the species had no existing popular name, first "monkey puzzler" then "monkey puzzle" stuck. As of 1996 Pencarrow had an avenue of mature monkey puzzles.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Alan | last=Mitchell | author-link=Alan Mitchell (botanist) | year=1996 | title=Alan Mitchell's Trees of Britain | publisher=Collins | isbn=978-0-00-219972-8 }}</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Araucaria Madre.jpg|The 'Araucaria Madre' in Conguillío National Park, Chile; according to the sign, 50 m tall, 2.2 m trunk diameter, and 1,800 years old File:Parque Nacional Conguillio - IX Región de la Araucania.jpg|The silhouette of the araucaria is very recognisable and has become a symbol for the southern regions of Argentina and Chile. Araucarias appear on the coats of arms of Neuquén Province and Araucanía Region. File:Atravesando un bosque de pehuén (Araucaria arauca).jpg|''Araucaria araucana'' in the Argentine Andes File:Conguillio National Park.jpg|Bark of a tree in Conguillío National Park, Chile File:Araucaria in Conguillio.JPG|Trees in snow in Conguillío National Park, Chile File:Hojas de la especie arbórea Araucaria araucana, en Icalma, Región de La Araucanía, Chile.jpg|Leaves File:Pehuen.JPG|Female (seed) cones File:Araucaria araucana0.jpg|Male (pollen) cones File:Monkey Puzzle Tree - Bergen, Norway - panoramio.jpg|Monkey-puzzle trees are popularly grown as ornamental trees; here, a young tree in Bergen, Norway File:Piñones de araucaria cocinados.jpg|The seeds ('piñones') are similar to pine nuts, but larger; these roasted seeds are 3 cm and 5 cm long, from two different trees. </gallery>
== References == {{reflist|25em|refs=
<ref name=Sanguinetti-Kitzberger-2010> {{cite journal | last1=Sanguinetti | first1=Javier | last2=Kitzberger | first2=Thomas | date=2009-05-10 | title=Factors controlling seed predation by rodents and non-native ''Sus scrofa'' in ''Araucaria araucana'' forests: Potential effects on seedling establishment | journal=Biological Invasions | volume=12 | issue=3 | pages=689–706 | issn=1387-3547 | doi=10.1007/s10530-009-9474-8 | s2cid=21054740 <!-- | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media --> }} </ref>
<ref name=Sanguinetti-Kitzberger-2008> {{cite journal | last1=Sanguinetti | first1=Javier | last2=Kitzberger | first2=Thomas | date=2008-01-06 | title=Patterns and mechanisms of masting in the large-seeded southern hemisphere conifer ''Araucaria araucana'' | journal=Austral Ecology | volume=33 | issue=1 | pages=78–87 | issn=1442-9985 | doi=10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01792.x | bibcode=2008AusEc..33...78S <!-- | publisher=Wiley Publishing --> }}</ref>
}}<!-- end "refs=" -->
== External links == {{Commons category|Araucaria araucana}} {{Wikispecies}} * {{cite web |title=''Araucaria araucana'' |department=Gymnosperm database |website=Conifers.org |url= http://conifers.org/ar/Araucaria.php }} * {{cite news |title=''Araucaria araucana'' |website=Encyclopedia of Chilean Flora (chileflora.com) |url= http://www.chileflora.com/Florachilena/FloraEnglish/HighResPages/EH0089.htm }} * {{cite web |title=Araucaria araucana |website=Chilebosque [Chilean forest] (chilebosque.cl) |url= http://chilebosque.cl/tree/aarau.html }} * {{cite news|url= http://araucariaaraucana.wordpress.com/ |title=The growth stages |website=Araucaria araucana (araucariaaraucana.wordpress.com) }} * {{cite news | title=''Araucaria araucana'' – monkey puzzle tree | website=Conifers around the world (conifersaroundtheworld.com) | url=http://conifersaroundtheworld.com/blog/araucaria_araucana_monkey_puzzle_tree | access-date=26 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906120918/http://conifersaroundtheworld.com/blog/araucaria_araucana_monkey_puzzle_tree | archive-date=6 September 2013 }}
{{Nuts}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q158780}} {{Authority control}}
araucana Category:Trees of Argentina Category:Flora of central Chile Category:Trees of Chile Category:Edible nuts and seeds Category:Trees of mild maritime climate Category:Ornamental trees Category:Vulnerable flora of South America Category:Plants described in 1782 Category:Pinales of Argentina Category:Pinales of Chile Category:Flora of the Valdivian temperate forests Category:Trees of temperate climates