Ochagavia carnea

The Ochagavia carnea, or Ochagavia litoralis for some botanists, is a fascinating and unusual plant, genetically very close to the pineapple, sought after for its wonderful summer flowering in pink. With a globular shape, its spectacular inflorescence is composed of many small flowers surrounded by tough bracts of the same fresh pink. It takes several years before it blooms, in the center of a dense, compact rosette composed of long leaves of a grayish green colour bordered with spines. While it offers only relative resistance to cold, up to -7°C (19.4°F) even in well-drained soil, the cultivation of this strange perennial is not difficult and it performs very well in pots. In our mild Mediterranean or oceanic regions, give it a small place in the rock garden, in a light soil like cactus soil, very well-drained, even occasionally dry in summer, and give it a sunny to semi-shaded exposure.

The Ochagavia carnea is a perennial evergreen terrestrial and xerophytic plant of the Bromeliaceae family, which includes among its members many other epiphytic species, these air girls named Guzmania, Vriesea, Billbergia or other Tillandsia. This rosette-shaped plant is native to central Chile, which has a Mediterranean-type climate, but tempered by altitude (between 500 and 2000m (1640 and 6562ft)) which guarantees cool nights. In its country of origin, it anchors its roots in south-facing rocky outcrops, on the more watered and less sunny slopes of the Andes, sheltered under a light canopy.

The Ochagavia carnea slowly forms a cluster of spreading rosettes, wider than tall, 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24in) tall and 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28in) wide. It is composed of a multitude of alternate, long and slender, tough and thick leaves, slightly arched, bordered on each side by curved spines. They are covered with a bloom that gives them a more or less gray colour. Flowering takes place in late summer, on mature plants. In the center of the rosettes appears a large inflorescence organized in a globular head, carried by a very short peduncle. The head is composed of many small tubular flowers with 3 petals in a pink-blue colour and 6 bright orange stamens, surrounded by a collar of tough, toothed bracts that resemble pink leaves. The flowers open from the periphery of the head towards the center. They are followed by the formation of green seeds, which are difficult to germinate.

This beautiful bromeliad is a collector's plant that will appeal to enthusiasts of unusual plants. It is easily cultivated on a terrace, where it will reign in a large pot filled with fresh cactus soil, to be stored in the greenhouse or conservatory to protect it from severe frosts. In the ground, in our mildest regions, it will find its place in a rock garden, above a wall, or in a gravel bed with other very exotic-looking plants such as Aloe polyphylla, Scilla peruviana or the extraordinary turquoise-flowered Puya berteroniana. In hot and dry climates, it can be planted for example on a neutral-colored mulch or planted among large rocks in a semi-shaded rock garden in a protected location, with some generous but spaced watering to improve its appearance and promote beautiful flowering.