I am interested in learning more about the monkey puzzle tree. I have not been successful in finding information regarding the following: 1. Its relationships with other species 2. Adaptations and role within ecosystem development 3. Other common species found within its habitat Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Look up on the web: The Monkey Puzzle Tree Harvest. This article describes the nut harvest and the customs associated with it. It is interesting to picture the Cordillera of the Andes where these trees grow. The nuts are harvested in March and throughout April. On female trees the nuts are large prickly and light green, much like pineapple. It goes on to descLribe what to do with the nuts after they are harvested. Whole villages are involved in the harvest each year which demands travelling up to 30 miles to get to the trees that grow at high elevations The tree grows in the Andes of Chile and Argentina at an altitude of 1700m. It is dioecious, separate male and female trees. It grows where the climate is cool and humid, and the soil is well drained but moist. USDA zone: 7-10 There is an area in the Parque National Conquillio near Temucao, in the region de la Araucaria (Chile) where they grow in great numbers. Apparently the biodiversity of southern Chile is greatly diminshed by modern development. There is a movement amongst Native people to stop the planting,in reforested areas, of exotic species, namely Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus. It appears that in this region 40% of the forest constitutes various species of Nothofagus, which is commonly called Southern Beech.
