| Queen of the Andes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 theQueen of the Andes (English),titanka andilakuash (Quechua) orpuya de Raimondi (Spanish),[1] is the largest species ofbromeliad, its inflorescences reaching up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. It is native to the highAndes ofBolivia andPeru.[1]
The first scientific description of this species was made in 1830 by the French scientistAlcide d'Orbigny after he encountered it in the region ofVacas,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.[2]
Thespecies name ofraimondii commemorates the 19th-century Italian scientistAntonio Raimondi, who immigrated to Peru and made extensive botanical expeditions there. He encountered this species in the region ofChavín de Huantar and published it as new to science under the namePourretia gigantea in his 1874 bookEl Perú.[3][4] In 1928, the name was changed toPuya raimondii by the German botanistHermann Harms, as the combinationPuya gigantea was already used for a Chilean species.[3]
Genetic analysis firmly placesPuya raimondii insubgenus Puya within the largerPuya genus.[5]
In EnglishPuya raimondii is known asQueen of the Andes.[1] In the Quechua language it is known variously astitanka,ilakuash,puya,kara,tikatika,santun,qishqi,puwa,t'ikanka, orchukiqayara.[6][7] The name titanka is widespread across both Peru and Bolivia in the Puna, though the namesti-ka-tika,ccara, andsantón are also widely used. In theHuambo District, Caylloma in Peru it is known ashuanka while in three villages ofCotahuasi District it is more usually calledpitancas. Two more names,Cuncush andCunco, are used by locals in theDepartment of Ancash.[8]
The queen of the Andes is the largest species ofbromeliad.[9] Its trunk can be 4 meters (13 ft) tall and 60 centimeters (2 ft) in diameter,[10] though more often they are 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) and covered in old leaves.[11] The trunk is topped by a denserosette of leaves, each between 1–1.25 m (3–4 ft) long and about 9 cm (4 in) in width.[10] The upper sides of the leaves are green while their undersides are lepidote, covered with small scurfy scales, making it white in color.[11] The edges of the leaves are widely serrated with stiff, dark brown spines, each about 1 cm long.[10]
Theinflorescence is typically 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 ft) tall,[11] but can measure as much as 8 m (26 ft) tall.[8] The stem supporting the flowering stem is quite thick, with a diameter of 20 to 40 cm (8 to 16 in) and is just 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) tall.[11] When flowering the whole plant may reach as much as 15 m (50 ft),[8] though more typically they are between 8.3 m (27 ft) and 9.5 m (31 ft) in height.[11] Antonio Raimondi estimated the number of blooms as over 8,000 whileAnthony Huxley estimated their number at 20,000.[4][12] They are produced over several months starting in May or June and continuing as late as mid-December, though the floral spike will have reached its maximum size by October.[8]
The individual flowers have greenish-white petals that are often somewhat purple.[10] The petals are 6–8 cm long and curve to a bluntly pointed end.[11] Each flower has three petals and threesepals. The sepals arelanceolate, shaped like the head of a spear with a pointed tip and 4 cm long.[10]
The seeds ripen over the following months and are ready to be spread by the following July.[8] As soon as the seeds are ripe the gigantic plant dies completely.[13] Estimates by Asunción Cano and co-authors are that each plant may produce 12 million seeds.[8] They are contained in round to egg shaped capsules that are 2.5–3 cm long. The seeds are quite small, each one including the wing around its edge is just 3–5 millimeters across.[10] The fruiting stalk is quite rich in resins and therefore the plants burn quite readily.[13]
Its reproductive cycle (and life) in its native habitat lasts 40 to 100 years,[14] though one individual planted near sea level at theUniversity of California Botanical Garden, bloomed in August 1986 after only 28 years.[15] It ismonocarpic, a plant that dies after reproduction. Unlike all other bromeliads it does not reproduce vegetatively and is entirely dependent on the recruitment of a new generation from its seeds.[13]
The plant has been identified to form a close relationship with pollinating birds, and was even hypothesized to be aprotocarnivorous plant due to its abilities to ensnare birds in the spiny fronds.[16] However, the adaptations seen inPuya that lead to ensnarement of birds seems most likely to be instead a defense mechanism.[17]
The Queen of the Andes habit ofsemelparity, reproducing once and dying shortly afterwards, has evolved independently in very distantly related organisms. In plants this monocarpic strategy is quite common with annual and biennial plants being short lived examples, but it is a much rarer strategy for long-lived plants. Other species with unbranched rosettes likePuya raimondii have a predisposition to evolve this to use this lifestyle.[14]
Bothhummingbirds andperching birds visit the flowers for nectar.[5] Theblack metaltail hummingbird (Metallura phoebe) lives in the stands of this and other puyas high in the Andes, though its nests have only rarely been observed and not in the crown ofPuya raimondii.[18] Theblack-winged ground dove (Metriopelia melanoptera) and theAsh-breasted sierra finch (Phrygilus plebejus) have both been observed nesting the crown of the plant, though this is occasionally dangerous with the ground dove occasionally becoming trapped by the spines. Birds as large as the widespreadbarn owl (Tyto alba) have lost their lives in puyas.[19]
P. raimondii is native to the Andes of Bolivia and Peru, usually between 2,400–4,200 m (7,900–13,800 ft) of elevation, but with a few instances of plants growing at elevations as high as 4,460 m (14,630 ft).[11] The species grows on both rocky and shrubby slopes in the wetPáramo,tropical montane steppe, and the humid montane forest.[10] 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 ofP. raimondii stands.[1] Moreover, in spite of being a high altitude plant, it has thrived at near sea level in temperate climate.[1][15]
P. raimondii is considered anendangered species by theIUCN.[1] The main threats to its survival are: human-caused fires, climate change and a declining genetic diversity.[1]
