Puya alpestris

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Common Names

Description

Family Bromeliaceae

Herbs or rarely shrubs , epiphytic, lithophytic, or terrestrial . Leaves spirally arranged , usually rosulate, sessile, simple , veins parallel, base dilated , sheathing , margin often spinose serrate or sometimes entire. Inflorescence terminal or lateral , scapose or sessile, a panicle, raceme , spike, or head , sometimes reduced to solitary, pseudolateral flowers; bracts usually brightly colored and conspicuous . Flowers bisexual or sometimes functionally unisexual , 3-merous. Sepals and petals each 3, distinct , free or basally connate ; petals often brightly colored, basal margin with a pair of scalelike appendages . Stamens 6, in 2 whorls of 3; filaments free, connate, or collectively or individually adnate to petals; anthers 2-celled, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium of 3 carpels united to form a compound , 3-loculed, superior or very often partly or wholly inferior ovary ; ovules few to usually ± numerous in each locule; placentation axile . Style terminal and often 3-parted; stigmas papillose . Fruit a berry or less often a septicidal capsule, or seldom compound and fleshy . Seeds usually winged or plumose ; endosperm mealy ; embryo small to fairly large.

About 50 genera and 2000--2600 species: mainly tropical America, except for Pitcairnia feliciana (A. Chevalier) Harms & Mildbraed in tropical W Africa; one species (introduced ) in China.[1]

Physical Description

Biology

Growth

Culture: Space 24-36" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

Notes

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Place of publication : Fl. chil. 6:12. 1854

Name verified on 23-May-1994 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 06-May-1998

Similar Species

Members of the genus Puya

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 244 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

P. adscendens · P. aequatorialis · P. alata · P. alba · P. alpestris (Sapphire Tower) · P. alpicola · P. altensteinii · P. angelensis · P. angulonis · P. angusta · P. antioquensis · P. antioquiensis · P. araneosa · P. argentea · P. aristeguietae · P. asplundii · P. assurgens (Puya) · P. atra · P. augustae · P. barkleyana · P. berteroana · P. berteroniana (Blue Puya) · P. bicolor · P. boliviensis · P. boyacana · P. brachystachya · P. brackeana · P. brittoniana · P. butcheriana (Puya) · P. caerulea · P. cardenasii · P. cardonae · P. casmichensis · P. castellanosii · P. cerrateana · P. chilensis (Chilean Puya) · P. claudiae · P. clava · P. clava-herculis · P. cleefii · P. coarctata · P. cochabambensis · P. coerulea (Puya) · P. coerulea var. coerulea · P. coerulea var. monteroana · P. coerulea var. violacea (Puya) · P. commixta · P. compacta · P. copiapina · P. coquimbensis · P. coriacea · P. cristata · P. cryptantha · P. ctenorhyncha · P. cuatrecasasii · P. cylindrica · P. dasylirioides · P. densiflora (Puya) · P. depauperata · P. dichroa · P. dolichostrobila · P. dyckioides (Puya) · P. echinotricha · P. elviragrossiae · P. entre-riosensis · P. entreriosensis · P. erlenbachiana · P. eryngioides · P. exigua · P. exuta · P. fastuosa · P. ferox · P. ferreyrae · P. ferruginea (Puya) · P. fiebrigii · P. floccosa · P. floccosa compacta · P. fosteriana · P. fulgens · P. funkiana · P. furfuracea · P. gargantae · P. gerdae · P. gigantea · P. gigas · P. gilmartiniae · P. glabrescens · P. glandulosa · P. glareosa · P. glaucovirens · P. glomerifera · P. goudotiana · P. gracilis · P. graffii · P. grafii · P. grandidens · P. grandiflora · P. grantii · P. grubbii · P. gummifera

More Info

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Further Reading

• Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage. (Zander ed14)
• Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. (Dict Gard)
• Smith, L. B. & R. J. Downs. 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). In: Organization for Flora Neotropica, ed., Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14(1):185.
• Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986–. European garden flora. (Eur Gard F)
• Ma Weiliang. 1997. Bromeliaceae. In: Wu Kuo-fang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 13(3): 64--68.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed November 1, 2006.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 02, 2008)
• World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

• Missouri Botanical Garden

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3488320
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-259955
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:124378-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 30383
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 606864

Footnotes

1. Wei-liang Ma & Bruce Bartholomew "Bromeliaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 18. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

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