How to Care for Monkey-Puzzle Trees. Monkey-puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) are needled evergreen trees prized for their open, pyramidal form and horizontal upward-arching branches. Native to Chile and Argentina, monkey-puzzle trees thrive in humid climates with mild summers. In the United States, monkey-puzzle trees perform best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 11. Despite their odd and showy appearance, monkey-puzzle trees require simple care.