monkey puzzle

The monkey-puzzle tree has a regular dome-shaped crown of downwards-pointing branches set with pointed leaves. Its name derives from the belief that monkeys have difficulty climbing it. It is the nearest living example of the trees of the Carboniferous period, about 300 million years ago, which gave us our coal.

Coniferous evergreen tree, native to Chile; its branches, growing in circular arrangements (whorls) around the trunk and larger branches, are covered in prickly, leathery leaves. (Araucaria araucana, family Araucariaceae.)

In May 2000 wild monkey puzzle trees in Argentina were placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I, which bans all trade in the species. Chilean monkey puzzle trees are already listed on Appendix I.