Plant · P-561

Monkey Puzzle

Araucaria araucana

Monkey Puzzle is a long-lived, prehistoric-looking conifer from the Andes, grown for a large, starchy, almond-sized seed that ranks among the best food any plant provides. It needs separate male and female trees to set seed at all, and a tree does not bear until it is 20 to 40 years old, so planting one is a gift to the next generation more than a crop for this one. It thrives where summers stay mild and struggles badly wherever they run hot. The species is endangered in the wild and protected under the strictest tier of international trade law, so nursery-raised stock is the only lawful source.