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Conifers

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• Pinaceae

• Araucariaceae

• Cupressaceae

• Cephalotaxaceae

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Norway spruce

Female cone of monkey puzzle, Araucaria araucana

 

 

Conifers - Araucariaceae

Monkey puzzle tree

Douglas firScientific name: Araucaria araucana

Family: Araucariaceae

Shape: to 50 m high, horizontal branches produced in tiers

Foliage: evergreen; spine-tipped leaves thickly clothing stem

Female cone: globular and up to 17 cm in length

Origin: Chile

Remark: the monkey puzzle was given its name by an observer who thought that monkeys wouldn’t be able to climb the spiky branches. Other araucarias can be seen in the Temperate House.

 

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