Near the Monkey Puzzle Tree
Outside the Main Gates on Kew Green
Explore Kew Gardens - Virtual Tour
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In the foreground to the northeast is a tree much loved by the Victorians, the Monkey Puzzle Tree, Araucaria araucana. Kew received a seedling when it was introduced from Chile in 1795. It was nurtured in a glasshouse until about 1806 when it was planted out of doors, just north of the Ice House. Not knowing whether it was hardy, the gardeners for some years protected it during the winter with a frame covered with mats. The original tree eventually died in 1892.