The Araucaria

For some strange reason, we (U.S.) know this tree as the monkey puzzle. But in Chile and Argentina, it is the majestic Araucaria the sacred tree of the Mapuche people. It grows in the Andes, the higher the better. The trees have a characteristic drape to their limbs which when viewed along a ridgeline from afar gives the Andes an almost tropical, other worldly appearance.
The Araucaria is an evergreen and can grow to towering heights. The trees are either male or female. The female tree produce the largest cones I have ever seen. Some are up to 12 inches.
The cone is full of pinions which are the seeds of the tree and also a valuable source of food for the Mapuche Indians. The tree grows ever so slowly so a mature tree is very, very old – several thousand of years old. We had the privilege to walk through an Araucaria forest in the high Andes near the Argentina border. It will remain on the highlights of this trip for me. On the sidebar are some pictures of these glorious trees.