90/365: Araucaria araucana

Lunchtime blip in the park (don't know how I managed to keep the camera steady enough to take it... it was so windy!). Monkey puzzle trees are great - like a gangly cactus :)

Little known facts about this weird looking tree...

- They are the national tree of Chile
- Because they're such an ancient species of tree they are sometimes referred to as living fossils
- Their conservation status is now endangered
- The seeds of the tree are edible and are similar to large pine nuts
- Whitby jet is the fossilised remains from species similar to the monkey puzzle from over 180 million years ago
- Apparently they got their English name from some Victorian dude who remarked on seeing one, "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that!"

No I didn't know any of that either, apart from the bit about Whitby jet, thanks Wikipedia! :)