Pencarrow's Particular Plant

The Story

On 12 May 2026 this new tree was planted at Pencarrow House, near Bodmin in Cornwall. Pencarrow was where the puzzle and the monkey were first voiced.......... Extract from Voicenewspapers.co.uk A monkey-puzzle tree was planted at Pencarrow, near Bodmin. From left to right: James Molesworth-St Aubyn, Peter Jones (Eden Project director of Horticulture), Sir William Molesworth-St Aubyn 16th Baronet, Pencarrow head gardener Gavin Vague, Cornish historian Barry West, High Sheriff Harriet Hills and Gillian Molesworth-St Aubyn. (Picture: Barry West). A MONKEY-puzzle tree was planted at Pencarrow in a ceremonial event on Tuesday (May 12) designed to honour both the species’ history with the estate and the importance of preserving remarkable trees for future generations. Pencarrow’s Araucaria araucana was among the earliest celebrated specimens planted in Britain. Contemporary accounts describe it as a rare and extraordinary curiosity. It had been purchased by Sir William Molesworth (8th Baronet) in 1834 for £25, a substantial and remarkable amount for a tree at the time. The acquisition would result in the tree gaining the name it’s commonly known by now. In 1842, Sir William invited a distinguished gathering of guests to witness the planting of a young Araucaria araucana in front of the famous Pencarrow rockery. During the ceremony, the prominent lawyer Charles Austin is said to have handled the spiny young tree, pricked his finger and exclaimed: “It would puzzle a monkey!” The remark delighted those present, and the name “monkey-puzzle” quickly entered popular usage. More than 180 years later, while the original Pencarrow specimen no longer survives, the tree remains known by that wonderful Victorian moment in time and expression.