232 Species in Genus Puya

Puya: My Fascination with the Queen of the Andes

The first time I saw a Puya, I was trekking through the high Andes. There it was, this incredible plant, like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, rising out of the harsh, rocky landscape. Its spiky leaves and towering flower stalk seemed to defy the very elements. I was hooked. I had to learn more.

Now, years later, my fascination with Puya has only grown. These plants, belonging to Bromeliaceae – the bromeliad family, are truly remarkable. They’re not your typical houseplant bromeliads, though. They’re tough, resilient, and adapted to some of the most extreme environments on Earth.

A Diverse Genus

Puya is a diverse genus, with over 200 species. They range in size from small, ground-hugging rosettes to giants that can reach over 30 feet tall. Some of the most well-known species include:

1. Puya adscendens L.B.Sm.
2. Puya aequatorialis André
3. Puya alata L.B.Sm.
4. Puya alba L.B.Sm.
5. Puya alpestris (Poepp.) Gay Plant FAQs: Puya Alpestris – Sapphire Tower Plant
6. Puya alpicola L.B.Sm.
7. Puya angelensis E.Gross & Rauh
8. Puya angulonis L.B.Sm.
9. Puya angusta L.B.Sm.
10. Puya antioquensis L.B.Sm. & Read
11. Puya araneosa L.B.Sm.
12. Puya argentea L.B.Sm.
13. Puya aristeguietae L.B.Sm.
14. Puya assurgens L.B.Sm.
15. Puya atra L.B.Sm.
16. Puya barkleyana L.B.Sm.
17. Puya bermejana S.E.Gómez, Slanis & A.Grau
18. Puya × berteroniana Mez
19. Puya bicolor Mez
20. Puya boliviensis Baker
21. Puya boopiensis R.Vásquez, Ibisch & R.Lara
22. Puya boyacana Cuatrec.
23. Puya brachystachya (Baker) Mez
24. Puya brackeana Manzan. & W.Till
25. Puya bravoi Aráoz & A.Grau
26. Puya brittoniana Baker
27. Puya cahuachensis A.Galán, J.Montoya, Vicente Orell. & E.Linares
28. Puya cajasensis Manzan. & W.Till
29. Puya cardenasii L.B.Sm.
30. Puya cardonae L.B.Sm.
31. Puya casmichensis L.B.Sm.
32. Puya castellanosii L.B.Sm.
33. Puya cerrateana L.B.Sm.
34. Puya chilensis Molina
35. Puya claudiae Ibisch, R.Vásquez & E.Gross
36. Puya clava-herculis Mez & Sodiro
37. Puya cleefii L.B.Sm. & Read
38. Puya cochabambensis R.Vásquez & Ibisch
39. Puya coerulea Lindl.
40. Puya colcaensis Treviño, Quip. & Gouda
41. Puya commixta L.B.Sm.
42. Puya compacta L.B.Sm.
43. Puya coriacea L.B.Sm.
44. Puya cristata L.B.Sm.
45. Puya cryptantha Cuatrec.
46. Puya ctenorhyncha L.B.Sm.
47. Puya cuatrecasasii L.B.Sm.
48. Puya cuevae Manzan. & W.Till
49. Puya cylindrica Mez
50. Puya dasylirioides Standl.
51. Puya densiflora Harms
52. Puya depauperata L.B.Sm.
53. Puya dichroa L.B.Sm. & Read
54. Puya dodsonii Manzan. & W.Till
55. Puya dolichostrobila Harms
56. Puya donneriana R.Vásquez, Altam. & Ibisch
57. Puya dyckioides (Baker) Mez
58. Puya elviragrossiae R.Vásquez & Ibisch
59. Puya entre-riosensis Ibisch & E.Gross
60. Puya erlenbachiana Ibisch & R.Vásquez
61. Puya eryngioides André
62. Puya exigua Mez
63. Puya exuta L.B.Sm. & Read
64. Puya fastuosa Mez
65. Puya ferox Mez
66. Puya ferreyrae L.B.Sm.
67. Puya ferruginea (Ruiz & Pav.) L.B.Sm.
68. Puya fiebrigii Mez
69. Puya floccosa (Linden) É.Morren ex Mez
70. Puya fosteriana L.B.Sm.
71. Puya fulgens L.B.Sm.
72. Puya furfuracea (Willd.) L.B.Sm.
73. Puya gargantae L.B.Sm.
74. Puya gerd-muelleri W.Weber
75. Puya gerdae W.Weber
76. Puya gigas André
77. Puya gilmartiniae G.S.Varad. & A.R.Flores
78. Puya glabrescens L.B.Sm.
79. Puya glandulosa L.B.Sm.
80. Puya glareosa L.B.Sm.
81. Puya glaucovirens Mez
82. Puya glomerifera Mez & Sodiro
83. Puya goudotiana Mez
84. Puya gracilis L.B.Sm.
85. Puya grafii Rauh
86. Puya grandidens Mez
87. Puya grantii L.B.Sm.
88. Puya grubbii L.B.Sm.
89. Puya guaramacalana Stergios, Caracas, Dorr & S.M.Niño
90. Puya gutteana W.Weber
91. Puya hamata L.B.Sm.
92. Puya harmsii (A.Cast.) A.Cast.
93. Puya harry-lutheri Gouda
94. Puya herrerae Harms
95. Puya herzogii Wittm.
96. Puya hirtzii Manzan. & W.Till
97. Puya hofstenii Mez
98. Puya horrida L.B.Sm. & Read
99. Puya hortensis L.B.Sm.
100. Puya hoxeyi Janeba
101. Puya hromadnikii Rauh
102. Puya huancavelicae L.B.Sm.
103. Puya humilis Mez
104. Puya hutchisonii L.B.Sm.
105. Puya ibischii R.Vásquez
106. Puya iltisiana L.B.Sm.
107. Puya isabellina Mez
108. Puya joergensenii H.Luther
109. Puya killipii Cuatrec.
110. Puya kuntzeana Mez
111. Puya laccata Mez
112. Puya lanata (Kunth) Schult. & Schult.f.
113. Puya lanuginosa (Ruiz & Pav.) Schult. & Schult.f.
114. Puya larae R.Vásquez & Ibisch
115. Puya lasiopoda L.B.Sm.
116. Puya laxa L.B.Sm.
117. Puya lehmanniana L.B.Sm.
118. Puya leptostachya L.B.Sm.
119. Puya lilloi A.Cast.
120. Puya lineata Mez
121. Puya llatensis L.B.Sm.
122. Puya loca Madriñán
123. Puya lokischmidtiae R.Vásquez & Ibisch
124. Puya longisepala Mez
125. Puya longispina Manzan. & W.Till
126. Puya longistyla Mez
127. Puya lopezii L.B.Sm.
128. Puya lutheri W.Till
129. Puya macbridei L.B.Sm.
130. Puya macropoda L.B.Sm.
131. Puya macrura Mez
132. Puya maculata L.B.Sm.
133. Puya mariae L.B.Sm.
134. Puya medica L.B.Sm.
135. Puya membranacea L.B.Sm.
136. Puya meziana Wittm.
137. Puya micrantha Mez
138. Puya mima L.B.Sm. & Read
139. Puya minima L.B.Sm.
140. Puya mirabilis (Mez) L.B.Sm.
141. Puya mitis Mez
142. Puya mollis Baker ex Mez
143. Puya mucronata Manzan.
144. Puya nana Wittm.
145. Puya navarroana Manzan. & W.Till
146. Puya nigrescens L.B.Sm.
147. Puya nitida Mez
148. Puya nivalis Baker
149. Puya novarae G.S.Varad. ex Gómez Rom. & A.Grau
150. Puya nutans L.B.Sm.
151. Puya obconica L.B.Sm.
152. Puya occidentalis L.B.Sm.
153. Puya ochroleuca Betancur & Callejas
154. Puya olivacea Wittm.
155. Puya oxyantha Mez
156. Puya pachyphylla R.Vásquez & Ibisch
157. Puya parviflora L.B.Sm.
158. Puya pattersoniae Manzan. & W.Till
159. Puya paupera Mez
160. Puya pearcei (Baker) Mez
161. Puya pendula Aguirre-Santoro, Betancur & Ordóñez-Blanco
162. Puya penduliflora L.B.Sm.
163. Puya pichinchae Mez & Sodiro
164. Puya pitcairnioides L.B.Sm.
165. Puya pizarroana R.Vásquez, Ibisch & S.Beck
166. Puya ponderosa L.B.Sm.
167. Puya potosina L.B.Sm.
168. Puya pratensis L.B.Sm.
169. Puya prosanae Ibisch & E.Gross
170. Puya pseudoeryngioides H.Luther
171. Puya pusilla H.Luther
172. Puya pygmaea L.B.Sm.
173. Puya pyramidata (Ruiz & Pav.) Schult. & Schult.f.
174. Puya raimondii Harms
175. Puya ramonii L.B.Sm.
176. Puya ramosissima ined.
177. Puya rauhii L.B.Sm.
178. Puya reducta L.B.Sm.
179. Puya reflexiflora Mez
180. Puya retrorsa Gilmartin
181. Puya riparia L.B.Sm.
182. Puya robin-fosteri G.S.Varad. & H.Luther
183. Puya roezlii É.Morren
184. Puya roldanii Betancur & Callejas
185. Puya roseana L.B.Sm.
186. Puya rusbyi (Baker) Mez
187. Puya sagasteguii L.B.Sm.
188. Puya sanctae-crucis (Baker) L.B.Sm.
189. Puya sanctae-martae L.B.Sm.
190. Puya santanderensis Cuatrec.
191. Puya santosii Cuatrec.
192. Puya secunda L.B.Sm.
193. Puya sehuencasensis R.Vásquez, Ibisch & R.Lara
194. Puya serranoensis Rauh
195. Puya silvae-baccae L.B.Sm. & Read
196. Puya simulans L.B.Sm.
197. Puya smithii A.Cast.
198. Puya sodiroana Mez
199. Puya solomonii G.S.Varad.
200. Puya spathacea (Griseb.) Mez
201. Puya stenothyrsa (Baker) Mez
202. Puya stipitata L.B.Sm.
203. Puya strobilantha Mez
204. Puya textoragicolae W.Weber
205. Puya thomasiana André
206. Puya tillii Manzan.
207. Puya tovariana L.B.Sm.
208. Puya trianae Baker
209. Puya tristis L.B.Sm.
210. Puya trollii L.B.Sm.
211. Puya tuberosa Mez
212. Puya tunarensis Mez
213. Puya tyleriana Sagást., Zapata & M.O.Dillon
214. Puya ugentiana L.B.Sm.
215. Puya ultima L.B.Sm.
216. Puya valida L.B.Sm.
217. Puya vallo-grandensis Rauh
218. Puya vargasiana L.B.Sm.
219. Puya vasquezii Ibisch & E.Gross
220. Puya venezuelana L.B.Sm.
221. Puya venusta (Baker) Phil.
222. Puya vervoorstii Gómez Rom. & A.Grau
223. Puya vestita André
224. Puya volcanensis A.Cast.
225. Puya weberbaueri Mez
226. Puya weberiana É.Morren ex Mez
227. Puya weddelliana (Baker) Mez
228. Puya werneriana Read & L.B.Sm.
229. Puya westii L.B.Sm.
230. Puya wrightii L.B.Sm.
231. Puya wurdackii L.B.Sm.
232. Puya yakespala A.Cast.

Adaptations to Extremes

What truly sets Puya apart are its adaptations. These plants thrive in environments that would kill most other species. They can withstand intense sunlight, freezing temperatures, and strong winds. Their leaves are often covered in spines or trichomes, which help to reduce water loss and deter herbivores.

One of the most interesting adaptations of some Puya species is their ability to trap and kill small animals. Their spiny leaves can ensnare birds and small mammals, which eventually decompose at the base of the plant, providing it with nutrients. While this might seem a bit gruesome, it’s a clever strategy for survival in nutrient-poor environments.

Conservation Concerns

Despite their hardiness, many Puya species are facing threats. Habitat loss due to agriculture and development is a major concern. Climate change is also likely to impact these plants, as it alters temperature and precipitation patterns in their native habitats.

Several organizations are working to conserve Puya, including botanical gardens and research institutions. Seed collection and ex-situ conservation efforts are underway to ensure the survival of these fascinating plants.

My Continued Exploration

My journey with Puya continues. I’m always eager to learn more about these incredible plants, their unique adaptations, and the challenges they face. I believe they hold valuable lessons about resilience, adaptation, and the interconnectedness of life.

Whether I’m trekking through the Andes or simply admiring a Puya in a botanical garden, I’m always struck by their beauty and tenacity. They are a reminder that life can flourish even in the most challenging circumstances.