Monkey Puzzle Tree – Sacramento, California - Atlas Obscura

Monkey Puzzle Tree

Puzzling...this tree looks like an assemblage of dismembered monkey limbs. 

135
268

Maybe it’s not a coincidence that the French call it désespoir des singes – “monkeys’ despair.” In sci-fi that translates to “freaky, green, spiny-armed alien.”

This exotic specimen grows in a planter across from an island of shy orangutans in the Sacramento Zoo. Both tree and animal have come just about equally as far to Northern California – the former originates from Chile and Argentina, while the latter is native to Indonesia and Malaysia. The former is also the national tree of Chile, quite an honor for a species so old that scientists refer to it as a living fossil.

They’re not very common as an import, so this evergreen is something special to behold…that’s behold, because you don’t want to hug this thorny mess. This is a very common street tree in the milder parts of northern Europe and is perfectly suited to oceanic temperate, mild-summer Mediterranean, and maritime subarctic climates, it does not do well in overly hot summers as it comes from a temperate rainforest environment. It will be severely damaged if temperatures in the marginal areas where it is planted drop below -5F for any prolonged period of time, which makes it about hardy to USDA zone 6b. It is also a staple food source in it’s native region, the nuts it produces are highly nutritious and sweet, it is a close relative to tropical species like the Norfolk Island Pine.

Community Contributors
Added by

April 5, 2013

Make an Edit Add Photos
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web