Family: Araucariaceae
Species: Araucaria araucana (Molina) K. Koch
Common name: Chilean pine (though the correct name would be Chilean Araucaria, as it is not a pine) English: Monkey puzzle, now called pehuén
Description
Native to central-southern Chile and south-western Argentina Araucaria is an evergreen arboreal gymnosperm native to the southern hemisphere.
It has a domed crown, and the lower branches often fall, leaving the trunk bare. It can reach a height of about 30 metres. Horizontal rings furrow the thick, grey bark. The twigs are covered by persistent, imbricated, dark green leaves that are large, triangular, leathery, and prickly.
It is a dioecious plant, meaning male and female plants are separate individuals. The female flowers are solitary, while the male ones are grouped. The fruit is a cone, similar to a pine cone, which takes two or three years to mature, becoming brown and about 15 cm thick; it then disintegrates to release the edible seeds, similar to pine nuts, which animals disperse. As with all conifers, pollination occurs through the wind.
The Araucaria is long-lived and slow-growing: it does not increase in height by more than about 10 cm per year. In nature, flowering does not occur before about twenty years of age.
Notes and Curiosities
Its ancient origins make it an extremely fascinating plant. Fossil evidence suggests that the Araucaria genus also existed in the northern hemisphere until the Cretaceous period. During the Jurassic period, it was widespread in both hemispheres and served as a primary food source for dinosaurs, hence the “dinosaur tree.”
Today, it forms pure populations on the Chilean and Argentine Andes volcanic soils. These forests are considered among the most beautiful on Earth, evoking primeval woodland landscapes.
It is a vulnerable species, and protection and restoration measures have been implemented. It has been protected since 1990 and is considered Chile’s national tree. Several private Chilean initiatives contribute to safeguarding these forests.
In nature, its populations are declining due to the deforestation of Argentine forests, which has caused a 40% reduction. Other threats include habitat degradation and fragmentation, seed collection, excessive grazing, and introducing exotic tree species into wild populations. In Chile, the main threat of the last 25 years has been human-induced fires, which have destroyed large areas in several national parks.
This explains why finding it in the Heller garden is so important.
The Araucaria was planted isolated in this park to enhance its geometric and regular shape.
It is a beautiful tree, notable for its symmetry and form. With a straight, cylindrical trunk, it is impressively shaped, often forming an elongated pyramid, with a crown that resembles an umbrella when mature.