Puya harmsii

The Puya harmsii is part of a group of succulent perennial plants, related to pineapples, that grow in arid heathlands and matorrals of the Andes. As spectacular as they are robust and undemanding, these strange queens of the Andes have been almost impossible to find in Europe until now, but they are making their way to collectors of exotic plants who also know how to be patient. This one is one of the most beautiful, its rosette of leaves, resembling that of an almost white agave, is particularly ornamental. As for its flowering, although it takes time, it is as original as it is impressive; from the center of the rosette emerges a tall velvety flower spike with unreal colors, adorned with dark blue flowers and red bracts. In suitable climates, it is a magnificent rockery or dry slope plant. Elsewhere, it can be grown in a large pot to protect it from cold and dampness in winter.

The Puya harmsii belongs to the bromeliad family. It is a xerophyte, adapted to arid soils and very dry climates in both winter and summer. It is endemic to the mountains of northwestern Argentina, where it thrives in large colonies in a hostile environment. This species can withstand temperatures as low as -6°C (21.2°F) in well-drained soil and tolerates limestone.

This puya has a slow growth, forming fairly dense rosettes of leaves that can reach a height and spread of 80cm (32in) to 1m (3ft). Over time, the plant spreads to form large clumps composed of multiple rosettes. The leaves are thick, fairly wide, long, tapering to a point, leathery, light gray-silver in colour, and bordered by small inward-curving spines. Mature rosettes, around 6 to 7 years old, bloom in late spring, in June. From their center emerges a velvety pink-red flower spike that can reach a height of 2m (7ft). At its tip, it bears a large, wide, oval-shaped inflorescence tightly packed with numerous tubular flowers in iridescent black-blue colour with orange stamens, enclosed in bright red calyxes. These flowers are flared and well adapted to the beaks of native nectar-feeding birds that come to drink nectar while ensuring pollination. Flowering marks the death of the rosette, but the plant ensures its perpetuation by producing daughter rosettes near its base.

The Puya harmsii requires planting in well-drained soil, sandy or rocky, almost dry in winter, and it tolerates hot and dry summers well. Do not place this spiny plant near a walkway and keep it away from young children. In Mediterranean climates, this plant finds its place in a large rockery or gravel bed. To accompany it in an arid-style rockery, as well as on a contemporary terrace, consider, for example, Yuccas, Dasylirions, Phormiums, and Nolinas. This plant can be easily cultivated in containers with a cactus soil mix. As soon as the first cold weather arrives, you should store it away from dampness and cold, handling it with caution due to its spines, in a temperate greenhouse or an unheated conservatory.

The Puya is called the "sheep-eating plant" by English speakers. Indeed, its spiky vegetation allows it to defend itself against the teeth of herbivores in arid heathlands where few plants can survive. Imagine a sheep with its wool getting too close to the puya: it would risk getting trapped until its death and serve as food for the plant.