Three Vancouver Monkey Puzzle Trees

Discussion in 'Araucariaceae' started by wcutler, Jun 14, 2008.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I don't have any story with these - I have no idea how old they are, but they're quite large. Gerald Straley, in Trees of Vancouver, says they were especially popular here in the 1920s and 30s, so maybe they're all from around then. Photos from June 12 and 16 show cones on all of them. The first is a female at Burnaby and Bute Sts in the West End.
    20080612_BurnabyBute_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_7502.jpg 20080612_BurnabyBute_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_7504c.jpg

    This is a female on West 21st at Columbia
    20080614_ColumbiaW21st_MonkeyPuzzleFem_Cutler_7690.jpg

    This male tree at 2nd and Larch in Kitsilano seems to be about twice the height of the house, and it looks that much taller because of the low branches.
    20080614_2ndLarch_MonkeyPuzzleMale_7716.jpg 20080614_2ndLarch_MonkeyPuzzleMale_7711.jpg
     
  2. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    The first one at least looks much too young to be from that period, I'd think more like 1960s planting.
     
  3. 1950Greg

    1950Greg Active Member

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    Great trees and I'll have to see them when I get into town.
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    I agree, these don't look like they are likely to be from that period. Height range for larger ones in Seattle about 45'-65'. One in Aberdeen, WA was 66' tall in 1993. Another in Skagit City, WA was 69' high the same year*. The tallest measured in WA prior to 1996 was one in Bremerton that had reached 72' by 1988.

    Vancouver Island may have the tallest in the region as one in Holberg, BC was said to be 77' tall in 1995. (Another, in Victoria was determined to be 63' high the previous year).

    *A landmark row in another Skagit Co. town may have towered above any others here, it was cut down many years ago - supposedly because the trees were attracting starlings.
     
  5. SimFin

    SimFin Member

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    I have documented another monkey puzzle tree in East Vancouver at 2798 Yale. Research has confirmed as planted no later than 1919, and stands about 50 ft. (conservative estimate), towering above the house which is 3 1/2 storeys. It's really a neighbourhood landmark. Unfortunately has had a lot of trimming, likely due to the harbour and north shore views. Don't have an exact DBH measurement, but I'd guess at least 2 ft. in diameter. I'm wondering if this could be the largest and oldest one in the city; it appears to be significantly larger than the others documented in Kits, West End and Riley Park areas. Any thoughts?
     

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  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I went to look for the largest male tree Straley mentions, at 33rd just east of Granville, but it doesn't seem to be there any more.

    SimFin, you should have near you the one Straley says is the largest female - on the north side of Pandora St just west of Kaslo St.

    Here's a nice-looking female in Queen Elizabeth Park, at the first(?) intersection up from the entrance off 33rd.
     

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  7. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Really? I can't tell - they have their backs turned.

    Ohhh! The tree. While dense and coning actually otherwise a bit squat looking, as far as it goes. Let's see some tall ones!
     
  8. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    That's gone too! I had a chance to drive by there on my way to Burnaby. I'd forgotten which corner it was supposed to be on, but I got out of the car and looked around - surely I'd have seen it if it had been there.

    Sorry, Ron. I guess the best Vancouver can do for you (in Monkey Puzzle trees) is shapely.
     
  9. SimFin

    SimFin Member

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    Yes, the Pandora site had me scratching my head: I lived on the 2700 block Pandora (between Slocan and Kaslo) from 1998 until late last year, and can't ever recall a monkey puzzle tree near Kaslo. It must have been removed quite some time ago.
     
  10. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If that is really now the biggest one left, that is terrible. Surely there are still others dating from many years back.
     
  11. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I'm just updating the photo of the Monkey Puzzle tree at 21st and Columbia. I think this must be the one Eric La Fountaine told me a story about today.
    20100929_Columbia21st_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050068.jpg 20100929_Columbia21st_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050069.jpg

    I thought I drove past what might be a male tree at 33rd just east of Oak; I'll check it out. It didn't seem large enough to be the tallest one in the city, but anyone will tell you I'm not so good at heights.
     
  12. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Yes Wendy that is the tree I saw on a recent walk. It seems to be one of the more robust females around. I spoke with the owners. They told me that someone had approached them to collect seed one year. Someone came with a cherry picker to get fruit and sent the seed to Chile for a project of some type.
     
  13. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    I've got some more Monkey Puzzles in the South Cambie and Riley Park neighbourhoods. I'm beginning to get the idea that the shape of the male and female trees is quite different. You know I'm not good at judging size, but I'm guessing these will not impress Ron.

    First, I wonder if this is the male tree Straley (Trees of Vancouver) mentions as being just east of Granville on 33rd. It's just east of Oak on 33rd. I didn't think it was that large, so maybe it's not the same.
    20101020_33rdOak_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050496.jpg

    This female tree is rather large for its location on 24th just east of Ontario. The yards are not large on this street and there's no boulevard.
    20101020_24thOntario_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050499.jpg 20101020_24thOntario_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050500.jpg

    Here's a nice male tree on 19th between Yukon and Columbia. The homeowner said she planted it 45 years ago.
    20101020_19thColumbia_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050516.jpg 20101020_19thColumbia_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050515ps.jpg

    The person who told me about the previous tree said this female down the street, on 19th between Cambie and Yukon, was already a sizeable tree 45 years ago when she planted her tree.
    20101020_19thYukon_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050520.jpg 20101020_19thYukon_MonkeyPuzzle_Cutler_P1050519ps.jpg
     
  14. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Sorry, not true! There's no differences in crown shape.
     
  15. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Wow. Thanks for letting me know, Michael. So the plump round-topped ones are just older (and have been filling out, putting on weight as it were)?
     
  16. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    We see plenty of robust females down here. But it is true that older males may also put on weight.
     
  17. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Yep.

    Here's a nice matching pair, same age and almost identical crown shape. Female on the left, male on the right.
     

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  18. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    That's convincing, not that I didn't believe you. Thanks, Michael.
     
  19. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Trees of many kinds native to groves and forests tend to have a more vertically oriented phase where they build height followed later by a mature stage where the crown becomes more spreading.
     
  20. SimFin

    SimFin Member

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    I went to have a look at the one at Columbia & 21st. On the way there noticed two others, 447 West 19th which has a wide trunk, and a younger one at 295 West 19th. The one at 196 West 21st (at Columbia) has impressive growth, but none of these is as tall as the one on Yale Street. (These are the same as recently noted and photographed by wcutler, but an address always helps pinpoint exact location.)

    There is also a good one right across from City Hall at 410 West 12th. The one that appears to be most similar in age and size to the one on Yale is at 1306 West 12th: a crude measurement of the circumference showed almost identical to Yale, but using the height of house as a rough guide it doesn't appear to be as tall. A rough indicator of age is the house itself: a mature tree could suggest planting shortly after construction (e.g. 1306 West 12th was built in 1912 and 2798 Yale built in 1911, and they are very similar in size).

    Had a look on Google street view for the one on West 33rd east of Granville as noted in Trees of Vancouver, but couldn't see it (similar to what wcutler noted recently). Perhaps that's gone too?
     
  21. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Thanks for the additions, SimFin. Here are some at VanDusen Botanical Garden, all together in one area. There were some young ones too that I didn't photograph. I think these must all be younger than the ones we've posted in people's yards.
     

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  22. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Found another Vancouver location: Here are two good-sized and good-looking male trees on the north side of Balfour, west of Oak. We thought twice the height of the house, so around 60 ft?
     

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  23. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    And so we see that trees occur in same-sex couples, too.
     
  24. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    This is quite a bit outside of Vancouver - it's on the Semiahmoo Trail in Surrey, BC, about half-way along, in a yard backing onto the trail. I have no idea how tall it is, but it was very nice looking.
     

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  25. jimmyq

    jimmyq Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    From the photo I would suggest that tree is about 30 feet or 10 meters tall.
     

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