Patagonian native tree: Araucaria

[barrosinc]

I was thinking about starting one of these for the long run.
It is illegal to collect them. So I have to start from one from nursery material.

Here is the description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria

They belong to the Pinales order and the Araucariaceae familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucariaceae

This is what they look like when old:

What tree would act similar to this? junipers? pines? cypress?

 

[Lazylightningny]

Talk about apically dominant...

 

[barrosinc]

Yeah crazy apical dominant. I was thinking it might not backbud at all. So stop its growth from the start, my guess is not to bareroot it, and not to chop off all leaves.

 

[gergwebber]

We looked at one in my taxonomy class last week! It seems A. aurucana does well in Davis too! This one is by an older building and may be around 50 years, but has yet to take the umbrella shape yet.

They may or may not react similar to Aurcaria heterophylla, the Norfolk Island Pine? not sure? I have had an A. herterophylla as a potted plant for over a decade with minimal re-potting or care. This spring I re-potted it and did some major work [bare rooted + pruning] to reduce girdling roots. Seems to be recovering well so far. Not a lot of new growth yet, but it seems the leader may be starting to extend.

I cannot see them as bonsai, just cool potted plants... maybe a giant penjing... but I think you ought to try it anyway. Its Chiles national tree right?

Oh yeah, My Norfolk back buds too, just not very gracefully. buds break on trunk and from the stems or leaves or fronds (not sure what to call the branches, they shed like leaves, but will grow new buds occasionally, and can create multiple leaders) Not sure this is the case with Monkey Puzzle.

By the way, what are the translations for the indigenous names? I think Monkey Puzzle was from a western plant explorer or some-such guy, what to Chileans call it?

 

[barrosinc]

a dude in brazil has one:

hhaha monkey puzzle, I didn't know that!