Araucaria araucana

Full-grown trees of the Chilean Araucaria (Araucaria araucana)

The Chilean Araucaria (Araucaria araucana Syn, A. imbricata, A. chilensis, Dombeya chilensis ), also monkey-puzzle tree, " snake tree " shed fir monkey tail tree or Chile niche jewelry fir and Monkey Puzzle Tree called, is a plant belonging to the family of Araucariaceae ( Araucariaceae ) belongs.

Fossil records related species of Araucaria today's date up to an age of 90 million years ( genus Wollemia ), which the family of Araucariaceae is one of the oldest tree families of the world.

The Chilean Araucaria was made known in Europe by the biologists and physicians Archibald Menzies around the year 1795. The English name "Monkey Puzzle Tree " comes from a comment by an Englishman in 1800, who said that to climb this tree with its dagger-like leaves, was even a monkey a virtually insurmountable task (though living in the natural range of the Chilean Araucaria no monkeys ). In Mapudungun, the Mapuche language, ie the tree Pewen in hispanisierter spelling Pehuén; this designation is in English as an alternative through.

• 3.1 timber use
• 3.2 Use as food
• 3.3 Use as an ornamental tree

Description

Habit

The Chilean Araucaria is an evergreen tree which reaches in his native plant height of 30 to 40, rarely up to 50 meters and trunk diameter of 1 to 2 meters. Chilean Araucaria grow very slowly; the annual growth is seldom more than 30 centimeters. You reach old age, so that there were 1300-2000 year old specimens. As a timber usually about 500 years old trees were used. The tree forms several deep roots and ovate to umbrella-shaped crown. All branches are borne in whorls of 3-7 branches and go horizontally from the trunk. They are very flexible. After about 100 years, the lower branches are shed, and the trunk is visible below; old trees are often only beastet in the tip. The trunk is always straight and cylindrical. The branches are bright green and densely covered with needles.

Foliage

Twigs, branches and trunks of young trees are imbricate occupied with the very hard and leathery scaly, shiny dark green leaves. The triangular leaves are between 2.5 and 3 inches long and 1.5 to 2 inches wide. They are sharply pointed in a brown spine and edges slightly yellow. They have at the top and bottom of gap apertures. The leaves are spirally arranged on the branch.

Bark and bark

The 10 to 14 centimeters thick bark with dark gray bark provides the Chilean Araucaria protection against fire and heat of hot ash after volcanic eruptions. It makes up to 25% of the root volume.

Flowers, cones and seeds

The Chilean Araucaria is monoecious ( monoecious ) or dioecious ( dioecious ) getrenntgeschlechtig and is marriageable age of 15. The singly or in groups in terminal upright, male cones are cone- shaped, dark brown, about 8 to 12 inches long, 4-5 inches wide and remain for months after pollination in June on the tree. They have spirally arranged, overlapping like roof tiles, thorny scales. The spherical female cones, called cabezas (Spanish for "heads" ), appear individually at the top of the branches and mature in the second year. They have a length of 10-18 centimeters in diameter 15 to 20 centimeters, are initially green with golden yellow spines and become brown cones, break up later, still on the tree, and then release up to 200 wingless, reddish - brown seeds. These are called piñones ( " pine nuts " ), are four to five inches long and between 1.5 and two inches wide. They have a slightly flattened, oblong- wedge-shaped outline. The thousand grain weight fluctuates 3300-5000 g

The masculine cones are terminal and oblong to ovate. They reach a length of six centimeters. The spherical feminine pin on the other hand form on engine tops and ripe from the 2nd year. You can reach a thickness of about 15 centimeters.

Wood

The ocher- yellow heartwood color differs only slightly from the sapwood. The annual rings are difficult to detect. The wood density is 0.67 g / cm ³. It has favorable mechanical properties and is easy to edit.

Distribution and habitat

The Chilean Araucaria native to the Andes in Chile ( Región de la Araucanía same name ) and Argentina, more specifically from Southern Chile and Patagonia.

The Monkey Puzzle Tree is evergreen and grows in temperate climates at altitudes 600-1700 m. ü. NN. The precipitation is 1000-4500 mm per year. The extreme temperatures are -20 ° C and 30 ° C. In Europe, the Monkey Puzzle Tree is hardy only in the milder areas of North West Europe where it reaches stature heights of up to 30 to 50 meters. In the warmest locations in Germany (for example, Botanical Garden at Karlsruhe castle ) it thrives satisfactory.

Use

Wood utilization

The high-quality wood is used among other things to the house, boat and bridge. It also finds use as a veneer.

Use as food

The native Indian tribes, particularly the Mapuchestamm the Pehuenchen, whose name derives from the name of the tree, have survived through harvest and storage of these piñones as their sole food practically the winter in the mountains. Cooked can be deducted them the shell, similar to an almond; they taste like a mixture of potato, almond and peanut.

Needy families in southern Chile get the course of government support a piece of land with Araucaria assigned and can live from the crop itself and sell the excess nuclei. For this purpose, they move into the fall months (usually March), with the tent in the mountains and pick up the fruit cones with a lasso from the tree to gather the fruit.

Use as ornamental plant

Especially in the British Isles, but also in other mild areas of Europe, the Chilean Araucaria is planted because of their very exotic appearance as a park and ornamental tree. Also in other parts of the world it is used for this purpose.

In a new planting is important to note that it gets enough water. Otherwise, it requires no special care.

Group in the Arboretum Main-Taunus.

Araucaria in Huerquehue National Park, Chile.

Araucaria in Villarrica National Park, Chile.

Threats and conservation

Because of the long and straight trunk of the tree is often beaten as a timber and is threatened by deforestation in Chile. The trade is now banned worldwide, the Araucaria is "endangered" on the Red List as ( " vulnerable" ) out. In Chile, a strict ban on use was adopted. In Argentina, the species is protected, but it is reported by a use outside protected areas.

Swell

• Claudio Donoso, Antonio Lara, Diego Alarcon: Araucaria araucana. In: Peter Schütt, Horst Weisgerber, Hans J. Schuck, Ulla Lang, Bernd vocal, Andreas Roloff: Encyclopedia of conifers. Dissemination - description - Ecology - use; the great encyclopedia. Nikol, Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-933203-80-5, pp. 93-98.
• Christopher J. Earle: Araucaria araucana. In: The Gymnosperm Database. December 12, 2010, accessed on 21 October 2011 ( English).
• Hubertus Nimsch: Araucaria - All species of the genus in image and text. Kessel, Remagen, 2011, ISBN 978-3-941300-30-9.