Robin L. D. Rees
Araucariae

The story goes that, each time I was taken out in my push-chair from about the age of 18 months, I used to get very agitated each time we passed the local Roman Catholic church. My parents soon pinpointed the cause: not religious fervour, but rather the presence of a monkey-puzzle tree (araucaria araucana) in the churchyard.

They concluded that the best thing would be to get me my own tree for the garden, no doubt hoping that I would ‘grow out of it’ in private, and at an early age.

I think it fair to say that in this aspect of my upbringing they were less than wholly successful. See my ‘fitting monument’ at Oxford University, and draw your own conclusion....

The monkey-puzzle tree in my front garden: October 2011
This tree was planted in 1987.

The same tree in 2003

A fine specimen at Lyndhurst

For the real enthusiast:
the avenue at Bicton (now Bicton College),
the original trees dating from c.1840

A sideways view of the avenue at Bicton

My back garden: February 2005
This tree, grown from seed at Bicton, was planted c. 1990.

Both my trees, growing up
December 2008

Branch of my front-garden tree in frost, covered with spiders’ webs — and Christmas-tree lights: 2006

Other Araucaria Websites and Images

• http://www.arkive.org/monkey-puzzle/araucaria-araucana/
• http://www.sagepress.co.uk/monkey-puzzle.php
• http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1347091 On my visit to Arlington Court (National Trust) in 2012 I counted 42 such trees.
• http://www.dendrology.org/site/images/web4events/pdf/Tree%20info%20IDS_03_P90_P102_Norway-0.pdf