During the movie, The ghost and Mrs. Muir, the ghost of a 19th century sea captain is enraged when he learns that the occupant of his former home intends to cut down “my ship’s mast.” The tree was a Chilean pine, which has a tall, straight trunk when mature, and the trunk is suitable for use as a mast for a tall sailboat. During the 19th century, a time known as the age of sailing, ship captains used to bring home living things (plants and animals) as symbols of their participation in adventure and discovery during their sea voyage to a foreign land. .
Although it takes a long time to grow, the pinone (seed) of the tree can make a centerpiece in a Victorian garden. In one such garden in England in the mid-19th century, a guest commented that the tree’s spiny leaves “would confuse a monkey.” So named, the native tree of Chile and Argentina intrigues people who hear about the monkey puzzle tree and want to learn more about it. The tree was listed as endangered in the 21st century, in part because its trunk is still useful and because its wood serves other industrial purposes. The seeds are edible, by mice and men, which contributes to their decrease in number. Although, mice that bury the seeds and forget where they bury them support the survival of the species.
Individual araucaria trees have been found that still live for more than a thousand years. Interestingly, the tree will grow in almost any soil with adequate drainage, which means you can find one almost anywhere in the world. This fact is a marked departure from the norm, which is that plants will grow best (outside of their natural location) throughout the world along the latitude of that location.
