Arauka pine, "the monkey's riddle", AraucariaChilean - all these are the names of a single tree, which belongs to the oldest conifers. It grew on our planet thousands of years ago and in its natural form has survived to this day only in Australia and South America.
In Europe, this plant was found only in 1782thanks to the efforts of botany from Italy H. Molinu. After 16 years (1796), the first tree was planted in England. Another name appeared here - Monkey Puzzle (“the monkey's mystery”). It is quite widespread and included in the botanical dictionaries. One day, a certain owner of a young Araucaria, whose trunk and branches were completely covered with prickly leaves for a long time, showing it to his guests, said: "Climbing this tree is not easy, it would become a mystery even for monkeys."
Первое дерево в Англии прожило более ста лет.Later, Chilean araucaria was widespread in Western Europe. In Russia, it can only be seen in the botanical gardens of the Caucasus and Crimea. In this article we will tell about this exotic plant in more detail.
Chilean Araucaria: Description
It is very large, up to 60 meters high,dioecious, evergreen, dioecious tree. Under natural conditions, its trunk reaches 1.5 meters in diameter. The plant is frost resistant: can withstand a decrease in air temperature to -20 ° C.
Crown
Externally, the tree is different from the usual conifersrocks (spruce, pine). What is the shape of the Chilean Araucaria trees? In young plants, the crown has a rounded-conical shape, at an older age, it becomes umbrella-like. It is formed by long, thick, prostrate, slightly sagging at the base, and then branches ascending upwards. The lower branches lie on the ground.
Они с возрастом, как правило, опадают.Adult samples have lateral branches located 6–7 in verticils. They are spread horizontally or slightly hanging, which is more often seen in old trees. Crohn acquires a flat umbrella-like shape a few years after landing. It is located at the top of the trunk.
Trunk
Chilean Araucaria, photo of which you canSee in this article, has a straight, rounded and very slender trunk. It covers the resinous thick bark of a dark brown color. It clearly shows the longitudinal cracks appearing from the bases of the discarded, dead branches. The bark is wrinkled, flaking. The annual growth of young plants reaches 45 cm, and then it slows down to 10–15 cm. Trees up to the age of 50 are considered young.
Araucaria wood has a yellowish-white color. It is used in construction. Her resin has been used in traditional medicine.
Leaves
Chilean Araucaria has large needles.The length of the needles is 3-5 cm with the same width. They sit tight on the branches for 10-15 years. The foliage is very stiff, with a pointed tip, smooth. The upper surface is slightly convex, on both sides it has oral lines. Foliage tightly covers the branches. On both sides it is painted in the same dark green color, shiny.
Поразительно, но листья этого дерева настолько prickly and tough, that birds do not even sit on its branches. The leaves of this tree live for about forty years. A feature of the plant are microstrobiles. They are single, axillary (often assembled in groups at the top of a branch of 2-6 pieces). They are cylindrical, sometimes almost oval, surrounded at the base by vegetative leaves.
Bloom
Chilean araucaria blooms in June - July. Male flowers at the ends of the shoots are collected in small bunches that remain on the tree for several months.
Cones
The huge cones of the Chilean araucaria are painted inbrown color, spherical shape, with a diameter up to 18 cm and weighing up to one and a half kilograms. At first they are covered with elongated, long (up to 3 cm) and slightly pointed tips of the scales, which then breaks off.
Female cones are spherical-conical,large (up to 17 cm in diameter), located on the upper sides of the sturdier branches. After pollination, they remain green for two years. On adult trees, there are about 30 cones, each of which contains about 300 very large seeds. After maturation the cone crumbles on the tree.
The ripened seed is slightly compressed, oblong, up to four in length and up to two centimeters thick. Along the edges of the seeds you can see narrow stripes - wing remains.
Using
The seeds are very oily, and the local population uses them for food. They have an unusual pleasant taste, so they are often used in toast or in dishes with cheese.
Chilean araucaria has found wide application in landscape design: because of its unusual shape, the tree is often used in parks and gardens.
Chilean Araucaria at home
In room conditions araucaria grows to 180see. To grow this unusual plant, you need a bright, at least a little shaded place. The room should be cool, with good air circulation. This tree will not grow in modern rooms with central heating.
For the growth and development of Araucaria you need a lotplaces. In summer, this tree is quite comfortable in the fresh air, but on condition that it will be protected from direct sunlight. Often it is a decoration of the landscape on the plot of Chilean araucaria. In the open field, even with a late transplant, the plant develops more intensively.
Temperature
The required temperature for araucaria is + 10–12 ° C. Even a small increase (up to +16 ° C) does not tolerate a plant: the needles begin to turn yellow.
The soil
Chilean Araucaria is not too demandingsoil composition. As a rule, it is prepared for the usual mixture for indoor plants. You can add to it a peat-containing substrate with an acid reaction. It can be purchased at a specialty store as a primer for rhododendrons.
Humidity
In rooms where the temperature exceedsrecommended, three times a day the plant should be sprayed. In cool rooms, this procedure should be carried out no more than once every two days. The soil in the pot must be closed with sphagnum moss, which is required to regularly moisten.
Watering
In summer, watering should be abundant.Do not allow the soil to dry out. In this case, excessive waterlogging can also harm the plant: excess moisture around the roots can lead to yellowing and falling needles. Watering is carried out only after the topsoil has dried.
In winter, watering is minimized, howeverand at this time the drying of the earthy coma is unacceptable. In addition, do not use hard water for irrigation. Recommended well-settled, rain or boiled water.
In araucaria chilean room conditions lives up toten years subject to the conditions of detention. Yellow needles indicate that the air in the room is too dry. Think of a reliable support for the plant. Fertilizers for azaleas are suitable for feeding. They are used in the period from April to August with an interval of three weeks. Araucaria does not need organic fertilizers.
Transfer
После приобретения молодого растения следует carefully remove it from the pot, taking care not to damage the earthen room. If the roots are too densely woven around it, then after 7-10 days it is necessary to pass the tree (without changing the soil) into a larger pot and add a substrate for conifers. The next transplant will be needed only after 3-4 years, when the coma again tightly braids the roots.
Pests
This plant is fairly resistant to pests.no less sometimes it affects the mealybug and pests characteristic of conifers. If you notice white clusters on the tree resembling pieces of cotton, remove them with a semi-rigid brush, after having moistened it with alcohol. After that, treat the plant with the drug "Aktara".
Chilean Araucaria - very spectacular plant,which looks great in any interior. As you can see, it does not require complex care with room maintenance (except for strict adherence to temperature conditions).
