Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle). This tree, from Chile, is a tree that i really like for several reasons. I am not going to get into descriptions, because you can find abundant information elsewhere. One reason i like it, is that it's the only tree that i can just plant and it will grow. It protects itself. I never saw any damage from deer, slugs, rodents or any other animals, or diseases. So i just plant it and it will grow. No need to protect it. This is something that i totally appreciate because all trees that i plant always need to be protected. It's such a hassle. This tree can and will, in favorable conditions, produce an abundance of food. Monkey puzzle, being dioecious, will have female trees that make large cones that contain many edible pine nuts. They are a bit like the italian pine nuts of pinus pinea, only much larger.
Apparently 16 trees are able to give enough food to feed an adult human for a whole year. They can be used as a staple diet like potatoes. The downside is that trees can take up to 40 years before they flower and there is no way to know whether your trees are male or female beforehand and only the female trees produce edible nuts.
Another great aspect is that these trees throw little shade, so you can potentially grow many others plants around and under them.
I planted 11 trees in total and my largest one was moved from the first property we bought and planted here by myself and is now 3 meters tall.
I hope i will live to see the day when they make cones and taste the nuts one day, so i guess i will have to try and stick around for another 40 years....
a young seedling
and more...
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