Araucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Gymnospermae |
Division: | Pinophyta |
Class: | Pinopsida |
Order: | Araucariales
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Family: | Araucariaceae |
Genus: | Araucaria |
Section: | A. sect. Araucaria |
Species: | A. araucana
|
Binomial name | |
Araucaria araucana (Molina)
K. Koch |
Araucaria araucana, commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, pewen or Chilean pine, is an evergreen tree growing to a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) and a height of 30–40 m (98–131 ft). It is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina.[3] It is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Because of the prevalence of similar species in ancient prehistory, it is sometimes called a living fossil. It is also the national tree of Chile. Its conservation status was changed to Endangered by the IUCN in 2013 due to the dwindling population caused by logging, forest fires, and grazing.[1]
Description
The leaves are thick, tough, and scale-like, triangular, 3–4 cm (1+1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) long, 1–3 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄4 in) broad at the base, and with sharp edges and tips. According to Lusk, the leaves have an average lifespan of 24 years[4] and so cover most of the tree except for the older branches.
It is usually
The thick bark of Araucaria araucana may be an adaptation to wildfire.[5]
Habitat
The tree's native habitat is the lower slopes of the Chilean and Argentine south-central Andes, approximately between 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and 1,700 m (5,600 ft).[6] In the Chilean Coast Range A. araucana can be found as far south as Villa Las Araucarias (latitude 38°30' S) at an altitude of 640 m asl.[7] Juvenile trees exhibit a broadly pyramidal or conical habit which naturally develops into the distinctive umbrella form of mature specimens as the tree ages.[8] It prefers well-drained, slightly acidic, volcanic soil, but will tolerate almost any soil type provided it drains well. Seedlings are often not competitive enough to survive unless grown in a canopy gap or exposed isolated area. It is almost never found together with Chusquea culeou, Nothofagus dombeyi, and Nothofagus pumilio, because they typically outcompete A. araucana.[9]
Seed dispersal
Araucaria araucana is a masting species, and rodents are important consumers and dispersers of its seeds. The long-haired grass mouse, Abrothrix longipilis, is the most important animal responsible for dispersing the seeds of A. araucana. This rodent buries seeds whole in locations favorable for seed germination, unlike other animals.[10]
Another important seed dispersal agent is the parakeet species Enicognathus ferrugineus.[9] Adult trees are highly resistant to large ecological disturbances caused by volcanic activity, after events like these the parakeets play their role by dispersing the seeds far from affected territory.[9]
Threats
Logging, long a major threat, was finally banned in 1990.[11] Large fires burned thousands of acres of Araucaria forest in 2001–2002,[11] and areas of national parks have also burned, destroying trees over 1300 years old.[1] Overgrazing and invasive trees are also threats.[1][11] Extensive human harvesting of piñones (Araucaria seeds) can prevent new trees from growing.[1] A Global Trees Campaign project that planted 2000 trees found a 90 percent 10-year survival rate.[11]
Another major threat to the survival of A. araucana, is the presence of non-native seed eating species, in particular mammals, which have been shown to severely restrict the reproduction of the tree in comparison to native seed eaters.[12] However it is still unclear as to how large a role these invasive species play in threatening this species of Tree. One study in particular found that native species played a larger role in preventing reproduction through seed destruction.[13] However this may be due to the relatively recent introduction of the selected species, causing their population to be smaller than other invasive species.
A study conducted found that cattle ranching by small landowners and larger timber companies within the range of A. araucana severely affects regeneration of seedlings.[14]
Cultivation and uses
Araucaria araucana is a popular garden tree, planted for the unusual effect of its thick, "reptilian" branches with very symmetrical appearance. It prefers temperate climates with abundant rainfall, tolerating temperatures down to about −20 °C (−4 °F). It is far and away the hardiest member of its genus, and can grow well in western and central
Its seeds (
Once valued because of its long, straight trunk, its current rarity and vulnerable status mean its wood is now rarely used; it is also sacred to some indigenous Mapuche.[22] Timber from these trees, was used for railway sleepers in order to access many industrial areas around the port of Chile. Before the tree became protected by law in 1971, lumber mills in Araucanía Region specialized in Chilean pine.
The species is protected under Appendix I of the
Many young specimens and seeds were brought or sent back to the UK by Cornish miners in the nineteenth century, during the
Naming
First identified by Europeans in Chile in the 1780s,
The origin of the popular English language name "monkey puzzle" lies in its early cultivation in
Relatives
The nearest extant relative is
The recently found 'Wollemi pine', Wollemia, discovered in southeast Australia, is classed in the plant family Araucariaceae. Their common ancestry dates to a time when Australia, Antarctica, and South America were linked by land – all three continents were once part of the supercontinent known as Gondwana.[citation needed]
Gallery
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Araucaria araucana in the Argentine Andes
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Bark of a tree in Conguillío National Park, Chile
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Female cones
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Male cones
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Part of a branch of a cultivated tree
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A. araucana, Botanical Garden, Wrocław, Poland
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A. araucana branch
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Monkey puzzle trees are popularly grown asornamental trees.
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Juvenile tree in winter
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Mixed forest of Araucaria and coigüe in Nahuelbuta National Park, Chile
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Araucaria araucana in Botanical Garden Jevremovac (Belgrade)
References
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ Native areas Archived 16 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Retrieved: 2012-09-20.
- . Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ISBN 978-9561112841.
- PMID 34514686.
- ^ "Villa las Araucarias" (in Spanish). Ministry of National Assets. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ISBN 978-1588747464. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
- ^ ISSN 0367-2530.
- ^ Shepherd, J.D. & R.S. Ditgen, 2013. Rodent handling of Araucaria araucana seeds. Austral Ecology, 38: 23–32.
- ^ a b c d e "Monkey Puzzle". Global Trees.
- ISSN 2351-9894.
- ISSN 1676-0611.
- ISSN 0006-3207.
- International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. 271 pp.
- ^ "It's hard to be leaf but Scotland can save the monkey puzzle tree from extinction". 28 November 2017.
- S2CID 133405753.
- S2CID 133405753.
- S2CID 21054740.
- ^ ISSN 1442-9985.
- ISBN 978-1-85585-974-6.
- ^ "Regreening of barren lands as new biodiversity reserves" (PDF). Science in Parliament. Summer 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ The tree was first mentioned in 1780 by the Spaniard Francisco Dendariarena. See:
- Elwes, Henry John; Henry, Augustine (1906). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. 1. Edinburgh, Scotland: (Privately printed). pp. 45–46.
- Hansen, Carl (1892). "Pinetum danicum". Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. 14: 257–480., see p. 341.
- Lambert, Aylmer Bourke (1832). A Description of the Genus Pinus …. Vol. 2. London, England: Weddell. pp. 106–108.
- ^ However, there are claims that the monkey puzzle tree was introduced to Europe after an expedition by the Dutch in 1642 from Brazil to Valdivia, Chile. See:
- Devon Gardens Trust
- Diedenhofen, Wilhelm (1990). ""Belvedere," or the principle of seeing and looking in the gardens of Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen at Cleves". In Hunt, John Dixon (ed.). The Dutch Garden in the Seventeenth Century. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks. pp. 49–80. ISBN 9780884021872., see p. 69.
- ^ Molina, Giovanni Ignazio (1782). Saggio sulla storia naturale del Chili [Essay on the natural history of Chile] (in Italian and Latin). Bologna, (Italy): S. Tomasso d'Aquino. p. 355. Available at: Real Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanical Garden), CSIC, Madrid, Spain. Archived 8 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jussieu, Antoine Laurent de (1789). Genera plantarum: secundum ordines naturales disposita, … [The genera of plants: arranged according to the natural orders, …] (in Latin). Paris, France: Herissant. pp. 413–414.
- ^ Pavón, Joseph (1797). "Disertacion botanica sobre los generos Tovaria, Actinophyllum, Araucaria y Salmia, con la reunion de algunos que Linneo publicó como distintos" [Botanical dissertation on the genera Tovaria, Actinophyllum, Araucaria and Salmia, with the recombining of some [genera] that Linnaeus had published as [being] distinct]. Memorias de la Real Academia Médica de Madrid (Memoirs of the Royal Medical Academy of Madrid) (in Spanish). 1: 191–204. ; see p. 199.
- ^ Koch, Karl (1873). Dendrologie. Bäume, Sträucher und Halbsträucher, welche in Mittel- und Nord-Europa im Freien kultivirt werden [Dendrology. Trees, shrubs, and subshrubs which are cultivated outdoors in Middle and Northern Europe.] (in German). Vol. 2, part 2. Erlangen, Germany: Ferdinand Enke. p. 206.
- S2CID 226066386.
- ^ Wilson, Matthew (5 July 2013). "Riddle of how the monkey puzzle tree came to be a UK favourite". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-00-219972-8.
External links
- Premoli, A.; Quiroga, P.; Gardner, M. (2013). "Araucaria araucana". . Retrieved 12 November 2021. Listed as Vulnerable (VU B1+2c v2.3)
- "Gymnosperm Database: Araucaria araucana". Conifers.org.
- "Araucaria araucana". Encyclopedia of the Chilean Flora.
- "Araucaria araucana". Chilebosque.
- "Threatened Trees: Monkey Puzzle". Global trees campaign.
- "The growth stages". Araucaria araucana.
- "Araucaria araucana – Monkey Puzzle Tree". Conifers Around the World. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.