Araucaria Chile: description and photos

Arauca pine, "the mystery of monkeys", Araucaria Chilean - all this is the name of one tree, which refers to the oldest coniferous species. It grew on our planet thousands of years ago and in its natural form has survived to this day only in Australia and South America.

In Europe, this plant was recognized only in 1782 thanks to the efforts of the botanist from Italy H. Molinua. After 16 years (1796) the first tree was planted in England. Here it also appeared one more name - Monkey Puzzle ("monkey puzzle"). It is fairly widespread and included in botanical dictionaries. Once a certain owner of a young araucaria, whose trunk and branches were completely covered with spiny leaves for a long time, showed it to his guests, remarked: "It's not easy to climb this tree, it would be a mystery even for monkeys."

The first tree in England lived more than a hundred years. Later Araucaria Chilean was widespread in Western Europe. In Russia, it can be seen only in the botanical gardens of the Caucasus and Crimea. In this article, we will talk more about this exotic plant.

Araucaria Chilean Description

It is very large, up to 60 meters high, a dioecious, evergreen, dioecious tree. In natural conditions, its trunk reaches 1.5 meters in diameter. The plant is frost-resistant: it can withstand the temperature drop down to -20 ° C.

Crown

Outwardly, the tree differs from the conifers we habitually like (spruce, pine). What shape does the Araucaria tree have? In young plants the crown has a round-conical shape, at an older age it becomes umbellate. It is formed by long, thick, prostrate, slightly sagging at the base, and then ascending branches. The lower branches lie on the ground.

They tend to fall with age. Adult specimens have lateral branches, located 6-7 in whorls. They are spread horizontally or slightly dangling, which is more often observed in old trees. The crone acquires a flat-umbelliform shape a few years after planting. It is located on the top of the trunk.

Trunk

Araucaria Chilean, the photo of which you can see in this article, has a straight, rounded and very slender trunk. It is covered by a resinous thick bark of dark brown color. On it, longitudinal cracks appearing from the bases of dumped, dead branches are clearly visible. The bark is wrinkled, flaking. The annual growth of young plants reaches 45 cm, and then it slows down to 10-15 cm. Young trees are considered to be up to 50 years of age.

Araucaria wood has a yellowish white color. It is used in construction. Its resin has found application in folk medicine.

Leaves

Araucaria Chilean has a large needles. The length of the needles is 3-5 cm at the same width. They sit tightly on the branches for 10-15 years. The foliage is very stiff, with a pointed tip, smooth. The upper surface is slightly convex, with two-sided lines. Foliage tightly spirals covers the branches. On both sides it is painted in the same dark green color, shiny.

It's amazing, but the leaves of this tree are so prickly and stiff that birds do not even sit on its branch. The leaves of this tree live about forty years. Microstrobiles are a feature of the plant. They are single, axillary (often collected in groups at the top of the branch for 2-6 pieces). They are cylindrical, sometimes almost oval, at the base surrounded by vegetative leaves.

Bloom

Blossom araucaria Chilean in June - July. Male flowers at the ends of shoots are collected in small bundles, which remain on the tree for several months.

Cones

Huge cones of Araucaria Chilean painted brown, globular, diameter up to 18 cm and weighing up to one and a half kilograms. At first they are covered with elongated, long (up to 3 cm) and slightly curved upward points of scales, which then breaks off.

Female cones are spherical-conical in shape, large (up to 17 cm in diameter), located on the upper sides of stiffer branches. After pollination, they remain green for two years. In adult trees there are about 30 cones, each of which contains approximately 300 very large seeds. After maturing, the cone on the tree crumbles.

The matured seed is slightly compressed, oblong, with a length of up to four and a thickness of up to two centimeters. On the edges of the seeds you can see narrow stripes - the remains of the wing.

Using

The seeds are very oily, and the local population uses them for food. They have an unusual pleasant taste, so they are often used in fried form or in dishes with cheese.

Araucaria Chile has been widely used in landscape design: because of its unusual shape, the tree is often used in parks and gardens.

Araucaria Chilean at home

In the room, araucaria grows to 180 cm. To grow this unusual plant, you need a light, at least a little shaded place. The room should be cool, with good air circulation. This tree will not grow in modern rooms with central heating.

Araucaria requires a lot of space to grow and develop. In summer, this tree is quite comfortable in the open air, but provided it is protected from direct sunlight. Often is an ornament of the landscape on the private plot of Araucaria Chilean. In the open ground, even with a late transplant, the plant develops more intensively.

Temperature

The required temperature for araucaria is + 10-12 ° C. Even a slight increase (up to +16 ° C) the plant tolerates poorly: the needles begin to turn yellow.

The soil

Araucaria Chilean is not too demanding on the composition of the soil. As a rule, it is prepared for her usual mixture for indoor plants. To it you can add a peat-containing substrate with an acid reaction. It can be purchased in a specialized store as a primer for rhododendrons.

Humidity

In rooms where the temperature exceeds the recommended temperature, three times a day the plant should be sprayed. In cool rooms, this procedure should be conducted no more than once every two days. The soil in the pot must be closed with sphagnum moss, which must be regularly moistened.

Watering

In summer, watering should be abundant. Do not allow the soil to dry out. At the same time, excessive overmoistening can also damage the plant: excess moisture around the roots can lead to yellowness and shedding of needles. Watering is carried out only after the top layer of the soil has dried.

In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum, however, and at this time the drying of the earth coma is unacceptable. In addition, do not use hard water for irrigation. Recommended well-kept, rain or boiled water.

In the room, araucaria Chilean lives up to ten years, while observing the conditions of detention. Yellowed needles indicate that the air in the room is too dry. Consider a reliable support for the plant. For fertilizing, fertilizers for azaleas are suitable. They are used in the period from April to August with an interval of three weeks. In organic fertilizers Araucaria does not need.

Transfer

After acquiring a young plant, you should carefully remove it from the pot, trying not to damage the earthen lump. If the roots are too tightly pasted, then it is necessary after 7-10 days to pass the tree (without changing the soil) to a larger pot and add a substrate for coniferous plants. The next transplant will be required only after 3-4 years, when the lump is again tightly weave roots.

Pests

This plant is quite resistant to pests, however sometimes it is affected by mealy worm and pests characteristic of conifers. If you notice on the tree white clusters resembling pieces of cotton wool, remove them with a semi-rigid brush, before moistening it with alcohol. After that, treat the plant with the drug "Aktara".

Araucaria Chilean - a very spectacular plant that looks great in any interior. As you can see, it does not require complicated maintenance with room contents (except for strict compliance with the temperature regime).