Puya raimondii
Queen of the Andes | |
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Puya raimondii flowering in Ayacucho, Peru. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Bromeliaceae |
Genus: | Puya |
Species: | P. raimondii
|
Binomial name | |
Puya raimondii | |
Synonyms | |
Pourretia gigantea Raimondi |
Puya raimondii, also known as the Raimondi Cove or the Queen of the Andes (
Taxonomy
The first scientific description of this species was made in 1830 by the French scientist Alcide d'Orbigny after he encountered it in the region of Vacas, Cochabamba, in Bolivia at an altitude of 3,960 m (12,990 ft). However, as the plants he saw were immature and not yet flowering, he could not classify them taxonomically.[4]
The
Description
The queen of the Andes is the largest species of bromeliad.[7] Its trunk can be 5 m (16 ft) tall, with a rosette of about two hundred linear leaves, these up to 1.25 m (4 ft) long and about 8 cm (3 in) in width, the leaf spines reaching 1 cm (3⁄8 in) long.[8] The inflorescence can measure between 4–8 m (13–26 ft) tall.[8][9][7] The whole plant may reach as much as 15 m (50 ft) tall.[9] A single plant can produce between 8,000 [6] and 20,000 [10] flowers in a 3-month period.[7]
Its reproductive cycle (and life) lasts approximately 80 years,[1] though one individual planted near sea level at the University of California Botanical Garden, bloomed in August 1986 after only 28 years.[2] It is semelparous, dying after first reproduction.
The plant has been identified to form a close relationship with pollinating birds, and was even hypothesized to be a protocarnivorous plant due to its abilities to ensnare birds in the spiny fronds.[11] However, the adaptations seen in Puya that lead to ensnarement of birds seems most likely to be instead a defense mechanism.[12]
Distribution and habitat
P. raimondii is native to the Andes of Bolivia and Peru, between 3,000–4,800 m (9,800–15,700 ft) of elevation on shrubby and rocky slopes.[1][8][13][14] This species seem to be very specialist on site conditions as it prefers to grow in small areas even if the surrounding terrain may seem equally suitable, resulting in a patchy distribution of P. raimondii stands.[1] Moreover, in spite of being a high altitude plant, it has thrived at near sea level in temperate climate.[1][2]
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Habitat in Vacas, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
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Habitat in Ancash, Peru
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Habitat in Huascarán National Park
Conservation status
P. raimondii is considered an endangered species by the IUCN.[1] The main threats to its survival are: human-caused fires, climate change and a declining genetic diversity.[1]
Gallery
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Leaves
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Plant
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Inflorescence
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Inflorescence closeup
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Close-up of flower.
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Flower dissection
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with Italian botanist Luigi Piacenza
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lambe, A. 2009. Puya raimondii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009. Downloaded on 9 September 2015.
- ^ a b c "San Francisco Botanical Garden - News - Rare Flower in Bloom at SF Botanical Garden". Sfbotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
- ^ "Bosque de Puyas de Raymondi (Titankayoq o Tikankayoq)". mincetur. Retrieved December 18, 2015. (Spanish)
- ^ Wait, Benjamin A. (1978). "Puya raimondii: Wonder of the Bolivian Andes". Journal of the Bromeliad Society. 28 (5). Bromeliad Society: 200.
- ^ a b "Bromeliad Society of San Francisco" (PDF). Sfbromeliad.org. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ a b Antonio Raimondi, EL PERU (Lima: Imprinta del Estado, 1875) Vol. 1 pp. 295-297.
- ^ a b c "BOTANY.cz » PUYA RAIMONDII Harms – Queen of the Andes, Queen of the Puna". botany.cz. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
- ^ ISBN 9780893273033.
- ^ ISSN 1129-4299.
- ^ Anthony Huxley, PLANT AND PLANET (New York: Viking 1974) p. 143.
- doi:10.1139/b80-157.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.01014.x.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Montesinos-Tubée, D.B. (2012). INVENTARIO Y ESTADO DE CONSERVACIÓN DE PUYA RAIMONDII (BROMELIACEAE) EN EL DEPARTAMENTO DE MOQUEGUA, PERÚ (in Spanish). Chloris Chilensis. p. 9.
- ISBN 9783642811906.
External links
- Photographs of Puya raimondii. Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies.