Monkey Puzzle. Poster

The araucaria araucana or Chile pine is an evergreen native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. The leaves are thick, tough, and scale-like, triangular,broad at the base, and with sharp edges and tips. The leaves remain attached and stay live for decades and so cover almost all of the tree, except for the older branches. It's a popular garden tree, planted for the unusual effect of its thick, "reptilian" branches and it's very symmetrical appearance. The origin of the popular English language name "monkey puzzle" lies in its early cultivation in Britain c. 1850, when the species was still very rare in gardens and not widely known. A group of friends looking at a young specimen in a garden in Cornwall one remarked "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that". As the species had no existing popular name, first "monkey puzzler" then "monkey puzzle" stuck. A truly beautiful and remarkable tree it doesn't yeald seeds until 30-40 years old and can live over 1,000 years with some reported to be over 1,300 years old. It is classified as endangered but over the years numerous steps have been taken to identify and reduce the threats. Unfortunately it's long life cycle discourages investment in planting orchards although yields at maturity can be immense. Also available as a blank card it's suitable for anyone and any occasion. It's also available for instant download (in the cart) plus it can be transferred to 1,000's of other products.