Why this ancient, spiky conifer is called the monkey puzzle tree

Gardening · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The monkey puzzle tree is a prehistoric survivor with a name born from a 19th-century dinner party joke. Beyond its reptilian, armor-plated branches lies a complex ecological history, a sacred status among the Mapuche people, and a unique reproductive strategy that has sustained Andean communities for centuries.

Native to the lower slopes of the Andes in Chile and Argentina, Araucaria araucana is a botanical relic. It is the hardiest of its genus, capable of surviving temperatures as low as -20 °C. Its distinctive appearance—a pyramidal shape in youth that matures into a striking umbrella form—is matched by its formidable defenses. The tree features thick, scale-like leaves with sharp, pointed edges and a bark that can reach 15 cm in thickness, an adaptation likely evolved to withstand wildfires.

The tree’s common name, 'monkey puzzle,' originated in Cornwall, England, around 1850. While Sir William Molesworth displayed a young specimen at his Pencarrow garden, a guest, lawyer Charles Austin, remarked that the tree's dense, spiky foliage would surely 'puzzle a monkey' to climb. The name stuck, though the tree is also known as the pewen or Chile pine. For the Pehuenches, a group of Mapuche people, the tree is sacred. They believe the pewen was a gift from a deity to nourish their ancestors, and they celebrate its harvest with festivals known as ngillatun.

Reproduction is a slow, high-stakes game. The species is dioecious, meaning male and female cones typically grow on separate trees. It is a masting species, producing large quantities of seeds synchronously to overwhelm predators. These seeds, or piñones, are edible and were once a vital food source. However, the tree faces significant threats, including logging, forest fires, and overgrazing. Since 2013, it has been classified as Endangered by the IUCN. While international trade is strictly regulated under CITES, the tree's slow maturation—taking 30 to 40 years to yield seeds—makes it a challenging candidate for modern commercial orchards, despite its potential as a resilient food crop in cool, oceanic climates.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• Capuchin monkeys have been cracking nuts with stone tools for 3,000 years
• Why these ancient African conifers are the survivors of a broken supercontinent
• The ancient bunya pine: a 200-million-year-old cornerstone of First Nations culture
• The New Zealand conifer that once fueled a nation and saved explorers from scurvy.
• Why the Samanea saman is known globally as the legendary rain tree
• The ancient palm behind the world's fourth most common psychoactive substance
• The sugar apple is a global tropical traveler with a surprisingly complex botanical history.
• Palms are the big game of the plant world, hiding secrets in their leaves.
• The mango family is a powerhouse of ancient medicine and global culinary tradition
• The resilient grass species that spans from the Sahara to Northwest India
• The American chestnut was once a forest giant, but a fungus brought it down.
• From Tequila to Houseplants: The Surprising Diversity of the Asparagaceae Family

More in Plants · More in Gardening · Latest · A–Z · All topics