Araucaria araucana is the tree species commonly called the monkey puzzle tree.
This distinctive evergreen conifer is native to south-central Chile and western Argentina, where it grows in temperate forests and mountain regions. Its branches carry stiff, triangular leaves that overlap densely, giving mature trees a striking, armored appearance. The species can live for many centuries.
The English name became popular in the nineteenth century. Its sharp, scale-like leaves made an observer remark that climbing the tree would puzzle a monkey, even though monkeys were not native to its natural range. The name therefore describes the tree’s appearance rather than an ecological relationship.
Araucaria araucana produces large cones and edible seeds known in Chile as piñones. It is culturally important to the Indigenous Mapuche people and is classified as endangered because of habitat loss, logging, fire, and other pressures.