Solved Identify this tree!

Hello all, Please excuse if this is obvious as I am completely new to gardening. Could someone tell me the name of this tree and little about it. We want to grow one in our garden. Wondering how long one would take to grow and how tall it would grow eventually and care guidance. Many thanks for help.

 

It's a Monkey Puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana.
See below for a recent thread on the topic, there are other threads on the forum as well.
Monkey Puzzle Problems
It is not a tree for a small garden or for planting close to a house or other buildings.
Also they do better in damper cooler climates, so it depends where you are.
They initially grow rapidly and ultimately can reach 20 m +.

 

Thanks very much for this comprehensive reply. Really appreciate it!

 

They drop razor sharp leaves, not so much when they are young, but when they are older. Have you seen one up close? They are quite fearsome.

 

No not seen one up close enough to observe this. Thanks for heads up. Will have a closer look!

 

Something to admire in someone else's garden - or country estate

 

Here's a few pics for you Richg. Believe me the spines on both trunk and branches are lethal.

 

Thanks very much - I think they do look amazing!

 

However.......

 

Magnificent trees in the right place but think long and hard before you plant one in your garden.

 

Never liked them, mostly because they look so 'alien' in Britain, and because they don't seem to provide any habitat, shelter or food for birds. They can look impressive in the vast gardens of country estates, but I'd personally think twice before growing one, unless you have an acre or two.

 

I like them but in the right setting, a bit like country estates with Cedar of Lebanon etc.

Its a bit Victorian and suggests those days of the plant hunters bringing back seeds.

monkey puzzle is a strange name as I dont think they have monkeys where it grows naturally
but then who gives a monkey?

 

Think they're native to Chile? Endangered in their own country, or they were, not sure if they still are.

 

Some pointless info.
We used to use the timber of a closely related species for stair strings, it was known as Parana pine, and was very distinctive, it came in wide boards which made it ideal, sometimes called Chile pine.
i think we nearly wiped them out in the wild..