Arauca pine, "mystery of the monkeys", Chilean araucaria - all these are the names of one tree, which belongs to the oldest conifers. It grew on our planet thousands of years ago and has survived in its natural form only in Australia and South America.
In Europe, this plant was known only in 1782 thanks to the efforts of a botanist from Italy, H. Molinua. Sixteen years later (1796) the first tree was planted in England. Here another name appeared - Monkey Puzzle ("monkey mystery"). It is quite widespread and entered the botanical dictionaries. Once, a certain owner of a young araucaria, the trunk and branches of which were completely covered with thorny leaves for a long time, demonstrating it to his guests, noted: “Climbing this tree is not easy, it would be a mystery even for monkeys.”
The first tree in England lived for over a hundred years. Later, Chilean araucaria was widely distributed in Western Europe. In Russia, it can only be seen in the botanical gardens of the Caucasus and Crimea. In this article, we will tell you more about this exotic plant.
Chilean Araucaria: description
This is a very large, up to 60 meters high, dioecious, evergreen, dioecious tree. Under natural conditions, its trunk reaches 1.5 meters in diameter. The plant is frost-resistant: it can withstand temperatures as low as -20 °C.
Crown
Externally, the tree differs from the conifers we are used to (spruce, pine). What is the shape of Chilean araucaria trees? In young plants, the crown has a rounded conical shape, at an older age it becomes umbrella-shaped. It is formed by long, thick, prostrate, slightly sagging at the base, and then ascending upward branches. The lower branches are on the ground.
They tend to fall off with age. Adult specimens have lateral branches arranged 6–7 in whorls. They are spread horizontally or slightly hanging down, which can often be seen in old trees. The crown takes on a flat-umbrella shape a few years after planting. It is located at the top of the trunk.
Barrel
Chilean araucaria, the photo of which you can see in this article, has a straight, rounded and very slender trunk. It is covered with a resinous thick dark brown bark. Longitudinal cracks appearing from the bases of discarded, dead branches are clearly visible on it. The bark is wrinkled, exfoliating. The annual growth of young plants reaches 45 cm, and then it slows down to 10–15 cm. Trees up to 50 years of age are considered young.
Woodaraucaria has a yellowish-white color. It is used in construction. Its resin has been used in traditional medicine.
Leaves
Chilean araucaria has large needles. The length of the needles is 3–5 cm with the same width. They sit tightly on the branches for 10-15 years. The foliage is very rigid, having a pointed top, smooth. The upper surface is slightly convex, with stomatal lines on both sides. The foliage densely spirally covers the branches. On both sides it is painted in the same dark green color, shiny.
It's amazing, but the leaves of this tree are so thorny and tough that birds don't even land on its branches. The leaves of this tree live for about forty years. A feature of the plant are microstrobiles. They are solitary, axillary (often collected in groups at the top of a branch of 2–6 pieces). They are cylindrical, sometimes almost oval, surrounded by vegetative leaves at the base.
Flowering
Chilean araucaria blooms in June - July. Male flowers at the ends of the shoots are collected in small bunches that remain on the tree for several months.
Cones
Huge cones of Chilean araucaria are brown, spherical in shape, up to 18 cm in diameter and weighing up to one and a half kilograms. At first, they are covered with elongated, long (up to 3 cm) and slightly curved points of scales, which then break off.
Female cones have a spherical-conical shape, large (up to 17 cm indiameter), are located on the upper sides of stronger branches. After pollination, they remain green for two years. Mature trees have about 30 cones, each containing about 300 very large seeds. After maturation, the cone on the tree crumbles.
The ripened seed is slightly compressed, oblong, up to four centimeters long and up to two centimeters thick. Narrow stripes can be seen along the edges of the seeds - the remains of a wing.
Use
The seeds are very oily and are used as food by the local population. They have an unusual pleasant taste, so they are often used fried or in dishes with cheese.
Chilean araucaria is widely used in landscape design: because of its unusual shape, the tree is often used in parks and gardens.
Chilean araucaria at home
In room conditions, araucaria grows up to 180 cm. To grow this unusual plant, you need a bright, at least slightly shaded place. The room should be cool, with good air circulation. This tree will not grow in modern rooms with central heating.
Araucaria needs a lot of space to grow and develop. In the summer, this tree is quite comfortable in the fresh air, but on condition that it is protected from direct sunlight. Often it is a decoration of the landscape on the backyard of the Chilean araucaria. In the open field, even with a late transplant, the plant develops more intensively.
Temperature
Required temperature for araucaria +10–12 °C. Even a slight increase (up to +16 ° C) is not well tolerated by the plant: the needles begin to turn yellow.
Soil
Chilean araucaria is not too demanding on the composition of the soil. As a rule, a regular mixture for indoor plants is prepared for it. A peat-containing substrate with an acidic reaction can be added to it. It can be purchased at a specialized store as a primer for rhododendrons.
Humidity
In rooms where the temperature exceeds the recommended, the plant should be sprayed three times a day. In cool rooms, this procedure should be carried out no more than once every two days. The soil in the pot must be covered with sphagnum moss, which must be moistened regularly.
Irrigation
In the summer, watering should be plentiful. The soil must not be allowed to dry out. At the same time, excessive waterlogging can also harm the plant: excess moisture around the roots can lead to yellowness and falling of the needles. Watering is carried out only after the topsoil has dried.
In winter, watering is minimized, however, even at this time, the drying of the earthen clod is unacceptable. In addition, hard water should not be used for irrigation. Well-settled, rain or boiled water is recommended.
In room conditions, the Chilean araucaria lives up to ten years, subject to the conditions of detention. Yellowed needles speakthat the air in the room is too dry. Consider a reliable support for the plant. Fertilizers for azaleas are suitable for top dressing. They are used from April to August with an interval of three weeks. Araucaria does not need organic fertilizers.
Transfer
After acquiring a young plant, you should carefully remove it from the pot, trying not to damage the earthen ball. If the roots braided it too tightly, then after 7-10 days it is necessary to transfer the tree (without changing the soil) into a larger pot and add a substrate for coniferous plants. The next transplant will be required only after 3-4 years, when the roots are tightly braided again.
Pests
This plant is quite resistant to pests, however, it is sometimes affected by mealybugs and pests characteristic of conifers. If you notice white clusters on the tree that resemble pieces of cotton wool, remove them with a semi-hard brush, after moistening it with alcohol. After that, treat the plant with Aktara.
Chilean Araucaria is a very spectacular plant that looks great in any interior. As you can see, it does not require complex care when kept indoors (with the exception of strict adherence to the temperature regime).
