Monkey Puzzle

Native to Chile where it grows on the lower slopes (3000' and up) of the Andes in areas that recieve heavy amounts of winter snow. Highly esteemed for the very large nuts that are easy to harvest as the cone disintegrates when ripe letting the seeds fall. Excellent nut crop for wet, rainy coastal climates, where other nut trees rarely succeed. They can take a long time to come into production, but are said to be reliable and very productive once started. Male and female flowers are usually on separate trees, though occasionally they can be self fertile. Widely planted as an ornamental street tree throughout the Pacific Northwest they make a striking specimen with their stout dark green "reptilian" branches and symmetrical branch pattern. Grows best in moist rainy climates and are hardy down to about -4 degrees F, zone 7.