monkey puzzle

noun

1. a South American, coniferous timber tree, Araucaria araucana, having candelabralike branches, stiff sharp leaves, and edible nuts.

monkey puzzle

noun

1. a South American coniferous tree, Araucaria araucana, having branches shaped like a candelabrum and stiff sharp leaves: family Araucariaceae Also calledChile pine

Word History and Origins

Origin of monkey puzzle¹

First recorded in 1865–70; perhaps from the intertwined arrangement of its limbs

Word History and Origins

Origin of monkey puzzle¹

so called because monkeys allegedly have difficulty climbing them

Example Sentences

The animal belongs to a herd of hefty herbivores who spend their days lumbering through an open landscape of conifers and gingkos, horsetails and monkey puzzle trees.

From Los Angeles Times

Chile’s famed Araucaria—commonly called monkey puzzle trees—soon appeared, their spiny branches curving jauntily upward like so many cats’ tails.

From Science Magazine

Imagine the forests of Chilean Patagonia: wet and cold, dense with monkey puzzle trees and other hardy conifers.

From New York Times

The botanic garden also grows the endangered monkey puzzle tree, from South America, outdoors in pots, year-round, whereas it used to only survive inside the conservatory.

From New York Times

Forests of conifers similar to monkey puzzles and gingko trees had understories carpeted with cycads, ferns and horsetails.

From The Guardian