CONTRIBUTORS - WOOD WORKS
Working out Monkey Puzzle
Araucaria or Monkey Puzzle trees are well-known in South Africa
as they have been planted for decades as ornamental trees.
By Stephanie Dyer
T
he group consists of 20 different species from
New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, eastern Australia,
New Guinea, Argentina, Chile and southern Brazil.
According to Poynton (2009) eight of the Araucaria
species have been introduced into South Africa for
commercial testing, with only five showing any promise
in plantation conditions.
These are A. angustifolia (Parana Pine), A. bidwillii
(Bunya Bunya), A. columnaris (Captain Cook’s Pine),
A. cunninghamii (Hoop Pine) and A. heterophylla
(Norfolk Island Pine). As you would have noticed from
the common names, these are softwood species (which
include pines, cypresses, cedars and yellowwoods).
However, these species should not be confused with
true pine (Pinus) species. The name Araucaria is
derived from Arauco, a province in Chile, where the
true Monkey Puzzle tree (A. araucana) grows.
Araucaria columnaris. Image: www.gbif.org