You’ve found it. This tree grows between 18-29ft high and is an evergreen conifer tree which starts out in a cone-shape but then grows to have a long straight trunk with an umbrella-shaped canopy at the top. The weight of the tree can cause the bark at the base to form wrinkles as it is compressed. The trunk is hard but the branches are more flexible, giving rise to its English name as it would “puzzle a monkey” to climb it.
FACT –It grows on the slopes of rocky volcanoes and its bark is fire resistant, so ‘islands’ of trees can even survive lava flows!
Location: This tree is found in Chile and Argentina in dry regions above 1000m above sea level. It can live in most environments as long as the soil is well drained.
Quiz Question:
True or false question.
The original Monkey Puzzle tree rubbed shoulders with the dinosaurs.
Now to walk back down High Brow and into Nettlefold Gardens for our next two trees.
