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Family: Araucariaceae
Native to: Chile and Argentina
Dimensions: tree to 70' tall, 30 - 40' spread
Cold resistance: hardy to about -10°F
Drought resistance: resistant once established, but grows much faster with more water
Key Features: distinctive habit, sharp needles, large heavy cones on female trees, produces edible nuts (if pollinated)
Uses: specimen tree for open space, effective in groups or on slopes, commands attention.
Description:
This fabulous tree ought to require no introduction, as it is so distinctive that even your non-gardening friend who can't tell a tree from a cell phone tower knows what to call it. I suspect the Sequim and Port Angeles areas may have more of these trees per capita than anywhere else in the United States. Said to look "just as out of place in its Chilean homeland as it does in British gardens" (that, of course, is a compliment), its gigantic symmetrical sprays of dark green, spiny branches arch downwards then turn up towards the sky at their tips. Sexes are separate; female trees produce big round cones that can drop and whack unsuspecting pedestrians on the head, but more commonly disintegrate gradually on the tree. It prefers a position in half to full sun; and, while it endures drought and poor soil once established, it grows far more quickly if watered regularly and mulched: some of the best specimens in the Northwest are in areas of high rainfall such as near the coast and in the Cascade foothills. Much hardier to cold than commonly believed, it has proven successful in Weed, California and even reached 20' tall in Kennewick, Washington. Try it in Salt Lake City. There have also been a few scattered reports of it achieving treehood in the mid-Atlantic region where it seems somewhat of a "holy grail" plant.
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