Araucaria araucana

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Other common names

Chile pine, money puzzle tree

Synonyms

Araucaria imbricata

Conifers Trees
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A stately evergreen tree with branches clothed in sharply pointed, triangular dark green leaves. Mature plants may bear cones on the upper branches, male and female usually on separate trees

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

Higher than 12 metres

Max Spread

wider than 8 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
20–50 years
Max Spread
wider than 8 metres
Max Height
Higher than 12 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Araucariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy
Genus
Araucaria are evergreen trees from the Southern Hemisphere, with whorled branches bearing spirally arranged leaves that may be needle-like, triangular or scale-like, and small male, and large female cones, usually on separate trees
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
Chile, Argentina

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in moderately fertile, moist but well drained soil in an open site with shelter from cold, drying winds

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in seedbed as soon as ripe; take cuttings of vertical shoot tips in midsummer and root in a cold frame; cuttings of horizontal side branches will not form an upright tree

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Architectural

Pruning

Pruning group 1; only young specimens respond well to pruning back into older wood

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus