Elk Pass Nursery
Plant Details:
Category:
Conifers
Height:
30 ft. - 80 ft.
Width:
20 ft. - 30 ft.
Zones:
7a - 10b
Exposure:
Part Shade
Elk Pass Nursery
KG Farms
Elk Pass Nursery
Common Name: Monkey Puzzle Tree
An evergreen, pyramid-shaped tree, that slowly grows to around 80’ tall and reaches 20-30’ wide. Trunk circumference can reach 3-6 feet at maturity. The most distinguishing feature of the monkey puzzle tree is its dark green, glossy, stiff leaves with spiny tips (leaves). These spiny leaves completely cover each branch, closely overlapping one another. Branches are produced in tiers as the plant grows in height, with relatively few side branches. Mature trees are graceful and pendulous. Female cones are globular and can reach up to 20-25cm in diameter; male cones are cylindrical reaching up to 15-20cm long. Trees rarely have cones of both sex, it is typically one or the other.
Aptly named ‘monkey puzzle’ as it is thought the task of climbing the tree would puzzle a monkey because of its spiny leaves and sharp branches.
