monkey puzzle

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

mon′key puz′zle, 

1. Plant Biology a South American, coniferous timber tree, Araucaria araucana, having candelabralike branches, stiff sharp leaves, and edible nuts.

• perh. from the intertwined arrangement of its limbs 1865–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

monkey puzzle noun

1. a South American coniferous tree, Araucaria araucana, having branches shaped like a candelabrum and stiff sharp leaves: family Araucariaceae
   Also called: Chile pine

Etymology: so called because monkeys allegedly have difficulty climbing them