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December 9, 2006 : Puya santosii
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Keywords: Bromeliaceae | Puya santosii Cuatrecasas | Cerro de Usaquén, Bogotá, Colombia
You receive a special treat today from Andreas of Bogotá (aka Quimbaya@Flickr | original image 1 | original image 2 |BPotD Flickr Group Pool). I know I'm not likely to ever see this in the wild, so I'm thankful for your sharing, Andreas! (As an aside, Andreas, Steve Swinscoe is trying to contact you re: Ceroxylon quindiuense).
There is very little online information about this rare species. For example, other than a few small photographs in the Flora Illustrada del Páramo de Chingaza (here), what you see today is the extent of what's available online for images.
I did find one species-specific tidbit of information from – believe it or not – the California Department of Fish and Game; it appears California DFG hosted an international conference on bears. This PDF on bear habitat assessment posters displayed at the conference makes mention (page 11) of research about the spectacled bear and its role as a dispersal agent for seeds in its habitat, including the seeds of Puya santosii. I imagine Puya santosii is not the only bromeliad to benefit – plants in the family Bromeliaceae are an important component in the diet of this second-most endangered bear species in the world.
Photography resource link: for inspiration, Daily Walks, the photography of Californian Diane Varner. After spending some time viewing the photographs, you might be curious to read about Diane and her postprocessing technique.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at December 9, 2006 6:29 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Guy Webb at December 9, 2006 9:37 AM
What a ferouciously stunning flowering bromeliad! I love the way the textures contrast. All so muted, yet with the bright yellow sex... It's the most wild flower I've seen in a while! Thanks!
Posted by: Elizabeth at December 9, 2006 12:29 PM
Yes, I believe this species of bromeliad can be grown in Santa Barbara. I grow one of the larger species of Puya, and I am in Ventura County. The Huntington Botanical garden has a wonderful collection of large Puya that have eight foot tall flower stems covered in turqoise flowers.
Posted by: Ryan at December 13, 2006 2:43 PM
Hi-
This is actually Puya lineata, and the only photo of the plant in flower I have ever seen! (I am finishing a PhD on Puya and collected extensively in Colombia) This species is found at lower elevations and in drier places than P.santosii, which is found exclusively in the high-elevation páramo. Beautiful!!
Posted by: Rachel Jabaily at September 26, 2009 12:44 PM
puya-sus pe bar
Posted by: puya at November 6, 2009 6:04 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
I am facinated with today's photo and am curious to know if the Puya santosii is suited to grow in the Montecito (Santa Barbara, California) area. The bromliad gardens at Lotusland (Lotusland.org) would certainly benifit from the addition of this beauty. Any one know?