Monkey Puzzle Trees

In 1874 the Monkey Puzzle Trees were planted for the 3 Buchanan sisters Margret, Jane, Elizabeth. Meaning the trees could be as old as 144 years.

The Monkey Puzzle Trees can live up to 1000 years old. The Latin for this is Araucaria Araucana. Monkey Puzzle Trees are thought to have been alive 200 million years ago.

Araucaria Araucana is a stately evergreen tree with branches clothed in sharply pointed, triangular dark green leaves. Mature plants may bare cones on the upper branches, male and female usually on separate trees. The Monkey Puzzle Tree has myths;

If you walk past a Monkey Puzzle Tree you have to be silent because a devil lives in the tree and if you disturb the devil it will give you a monkey’s tail!

A view of the Monkey Puzzle Trees – you can just see one peeking out behind the other!