The proud owner of a young specimen at Pencarrow garden near Bodmin in Cornwall was showing it to a group of friends, and one made the remark "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that"; as the species had no existing popular name, first 'monkey puzzler', then 'monkey puzzle' stuck.
To the east the gardens include some excellent mature examples of monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana).
Araucaria araucana, the monkey puzzle tree, a species of conifer
Nueva Imperial is located in a region with a lot of natural resources: volcanoes, mountains, rivers, hot springs, valleys, and native forests, which include stands of araucaria trees.
Araucaria araucana derives its popular name of "monkey puzzle tree" from what happened when a young specimen of it at Pencarrow was shown to a group of friends of the owner; one of them made the remark "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that"; as the species had no existing popular name, first 'monkey puzzler', then 'monkey puzzle' stuck.
The village has many stone houses with large, mature gardens containing oak, beech, and monkey-puzzle trees and rhododendrons.
There are also experimental forest plots of exotic trees such as monkey puzzle and eucalyptus and giant redwoods and Monterey pines.
Araucaria | Araucaria araucana | La Araucana | Araucaria angustifolia | Araucaria bidwillii | Norfolk Island Pines ''(Araucaria heterophylla)'' | Araucaria heterophylla | ''Araucaria angustifolia'' in Campos do Jordão | araucaria |