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ARAUCARIA ARAUCANA CONES

mini_murphy2004mini_murphy2004 Posts: 7
in Plants
My monkey puzzle tree has a bumper crop of cones this year. As usual most of them are too high to access but this year there are a few of them low enough for me to collect.  Now, what to do with them?  Any suggestions?

Posts

  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited August 2021
    The nuts inside are edible.

    https://urbanhuntress.com/2013/09/11/foraging-monkey-puzzle-nuts-2/


    https://owlcation.com/stem/The-Monkey-Puzzle-Tree-An-Ancient-and-Endangered-Plant

    Quote from above...

    "Archibald Menzies was a British Navy surgeon and a plant collector. He's credited with the British discovery of the monkey puzzle tree while on a voyage with Captain George Vancouver in H.M.S. Discovery.

    In 1795, Archibald Menzies and other officers from the Discovery attended a meal hosted by the Governor of Chile. They were served a dessert of seeds from the monkey puzzle tree. Menzies saved some of the seeds and germinated them on board the ship. When he returned to Britain, he had five young monkey puzzle trees with him. They were planted in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, which is a district of London.

    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • mini_murphy2004mini_murphy2004 Posts: 7
    Thanks for that.  I may also try planting some of the seeds.  
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Good luck … but it’s likely that the seeds won’t be ripe until the cones fall naturally from the tree. 

    And of course they’ll have to have been pollinated in order to be fertile … is there a male tree in the area?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • mini_murphy2004mini_murphy2004 Posts: 7
    There are a few other smaller trees in my area, they are not too close by but not sure if that matters.  We get lots of seeds that drop later in the year so I’ll have a go at harvesting them too.  Thanks 😊 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    This is interesting …
    https://www.monkeypuzzleworld.co.uk/pollination 

    It suggests that the seeds take 18 months to grow and ripen on the tree. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Originally from Chile...now endangered there.

    Apparently they are over 50 years old before flowers are produced.
    Female trees or male trees...need both to get fertile fruit
    Females round upright balls.....Pic 3./6
    Males longer drooping...pic 2.
    Not a tree for a small garden.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Interesting as Radio 4 Garden Question time yesterday had this as his tree, Matthew Pottage RHS Wisley. Can only be propagted from seed.
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