Araucaria araucana?

[npstreeguy]

Araucaria araucana(monkey puzzle)
Has anyone ever seen one of these in the wild?
I swear i saw one in Northern California along the coastal region 2 years ago when i was working with the Hotshots. Ive only seen them in arboretums and fancy irish gardens prior to this.

The yew bush. How does it relate to the Yew tree?

Just a few questions.

thanks

Mike Dunn

 

[beezer]

Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana) according to one of my books is native to South America. It is an introduced tree so it is not too likely that it will be found in the wild.

Yew bush and a Yew tree, not exactly sure, but I'm going to say that the are from the same family just a different species.

I don't live on the West Coast so just take this with a grain of salt, I could be wrong.


Beezer

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Tree and shrub are really just size differances. Some trees can be shrub form, while some shrub cultivars of the same species will never get to be a tree.

The generally accepted definition for shrub/bush is multistemed and/or low branching woody plant under 20 ft tall (wikipidia uses 18m).

As for Taxus (family Taxaceae), there are so many cultivars of it that you can find one for almost any landscape need. Very wet soils would be about the only place I could think it will not grow ( though low light makes it very leggy).

I've worked on some T. cuspidata that were shorn twice annully to keep them to ~7 ft. Every 3-4 years they had to be pick-pruned to thin out. I was lucky enough to do this twice while with that company. The speciese can get to be 40ft tall.

 

[moray]

In the wild

I have seen it in the wild--in southern Chile. The climate there is very similar to that of Oregon/Northern CA, so it is very plausible that you might find one there growing "in the wild," that is, surviving with no help from humans.

 

[jefflovstrom]

We have them here. As far as relation to Yew, they bear their seeds in cones. It is a good idea to wear your toughest gloves.
Jeff Lovstrom

 

[Bermie]

I've seen A. araucana growing quite happily in the South Eastern UK. in residential gardens and cemetaries. I don't like them, I think they are depressing looking.
We get A. excelsior (Norfolk Island Pine) here, it was introduced as an ornamental and has become weakly naturalized, self seeding in limited numbers.

 

[adam]

araucaria & taxus

I've seen araucaria in South Australia (both Monkey Puzzle and Norfolk), they looked artificial and definitely depressing. As far as I know yew bush and yew tree are the same species (for example Taxus baccata). Yew tree you can grow only from a seed, shrub form from cuttings. Cone on a yew? They bare a fruit ( red, the only edible part of the plant)...adam

 

[Kate Butler]

Norfolk Island pine

Interestingly and oddly enough, Norfolk Island pines will regrow from a totally bare trunk. Even the biggest ones: at every juncture (that previously had a limb) they will regrow another at the rate of a couple of feet a year (until the next hurricane strips 'em again).

Monkey puzzles are a nightmare to work in and around. They'll shred your clothes and you all at the same time.

 

[Bermie]

Interestingly and oddly enough, Norfolk Island pines will regrow from a totally bare trunk. Even the biggest ones: at every juncture (that previously had a limb) they will regrow another at the rate of a couple of feet a year (until the next hurricane strips 'em again).

Monkey puzzles are a nightmare to work in and around. They'll shred your clothes and you all at the same time.

Yup...seen that happen, trees that were bare poles three years ago have regrown 2-3' branches already, and ones that lost their tops have 4-5' new tops!

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Minor correction, someone referred to same species:

Yew trees and yew bushes should be the same genus, but not neccessarily the same species.

The tree size ones can be kept small if trimmed into hedge size.

It's one of few evergreen conifers that will sprout buds and growth from bare wood after stubbing branches.

So it renovates easily when a small evergreen is preferred in a narrow space.

 

[geofore]

edible?

I've seen araucaria in South Australia (both Monkey Puzzle and Norfolk), they looked artificial and definitely depressing. As far as I know yew bush and yew tree are the same species (for example Taxus baccata). Yew tree you can grow only from a seed, shrub form from cuttings. Cone on a yew? They bare a fruit ( red, the only edible part of the plant)...adam

Don't forget to spit out the seeds when you're eating the fruits.

 

[trevmcrev]

I've seen A. araucana growing quite happily in the South Eastern UK. in residential gardens and cemetaries. I don't like them, I think they are depressing looking.
We get A. excelsior (Norfolk Island Pine) here, it was introduced as an ornamental and has become weakly naturalized, self seeding in limited numbers.

Might be a common names variation thing being on the other side of the world n all but...
We in Australia know the Auracaria heterophylla as Norfolk Island Pine.

Quite a common garden tree in Melbourne, often outgrown its location in a suburban back yard.

Dont know how much truth there is in this but.... they were commonly planted along coast lines by early explorers to provide suitable replacement masts for thier ships in the future.

Anyway, enough useless information for today, back to your thread, sorry if its a derail.
Trev

Heres a big one:

 

[adam]

spitting strongly recommended

you can spit or get rid of the seed the way the birds do. Both ways you will contribute to propagation of this beautiful tree. Yews were cut down in central Europe in XIX century by Germans building railroads in Africa. Ties from poisonus yew were suppose to be resistant to fungi and insects...lets spit (in Central Europe in particular) adam

 

[adam]

yew tree & yew shrub

Minor correction, someone referred to same species:

Yew trees and yew bushes should be the same genus, but not neccessarily the same species.

The tree size ones can be kept small if trimmed into hedge size.

It's one of few evergreen conifers that will sprout buds and growth from bare wood after stubbing branches.

So it renovates easily when a small evergreen is preferred in a narrow space.

I was trying to say, that there is no significant difference between tree and shrub, you can find yew tree and yew shrub of the same species and yes, not neccessarily the same species. adam

 

[Bermie]

Might be a common names variation thing being on the other side of the world n all but...
We in Australia know the Auracaria heterophylla as Norfolk Island Pine.

Quite a common garden tree in Melbourne, often outgrown its location in a suburban back yard.

Dont know how much truth there is in this but.... they were commonly planted along coast lines by early explorers to provide suitable replacement masts for thier ships in the future.

Anyway, enough useless information for today, back to your thread, sorry if its a derail.
Trev

Heres a big one:

Yes, fair comment, especially the outgrowing the garden! (I'll contribute to the derail, but at least we're talking about the same genus!!)
I think we have two kinds here, one looks very much like your picture, very long spreading branches, the other has much shorter branches, that was the one I'm referring to. They both get up over 60'.
I have two to take down in the next week or so, they are on a sandy bank leaning out in proximity to a house.
Here are two pics of one I took down. And a row of old ones - 50+ years, two have since died and been taken down after the row got beaten up by hurricane Fabian in '03

 

[elmnut]

Check out page 14 of the January 07 Tree Care Industry for a short bit on the Monkey puzzle tree. It says the cones can weigh between 10 to 17 lbs.!

 

[treemendous]

Never seen them in the bush.
Taken down a pair of 100yr+/- in a front yard wearing welding gloves. Their are very like pines ie white pine. Branches in whorls, soft wood. They don't grow super tall, they start to round off at 70'. My neighbour has about 300 growing from 1gal pots to 20' They like it here in B.C. See them in yards.

I'd like to plant some yew at my place. I know of a wild yew tree in a forest park, anyone know how to start one growing?

 

[Thetreewisemen]

Shed loads of Monkey puzzle or Chile pine back in the UK. You know those Victorians, if it looked half interesting take loads back to Blighty and plant all over the place.
On the subject of yews, are we talking common yew ie. Taxus baccata? I assume we are, the version that you see in alot of English and Irish churchyards which is more hedge like is Taxus baccata 'fastigiatum',(also known as an Irish yew) which refers to the fastigitated growth pattern. The Druids thought yews to be magical and worshiped them and the Celts were quite partial to decorating them with heads taken in battle. There are a number of yews in English churchyards known to be at least 1,400 years old, the oldest living things in Europe and perhaps Asia.
And apparently Araucaria araucana is one of the only conifers that truly responds to coppicing.