Conservation Efforts to Save the Puya Raimondii of Peru
The Puya Raimondii of the Andes of Peru, also known as the "Queen of the Andes", is an endangered species and conservation efforts are now being made to save these rare and unique plants.
The Puya Raimondii is a tall plant measuring up to eight feet tall ( 2.5 meters) with spiky leaves that have a spherical appearance, making them the largest members of the pineapple family (or bromelaids). They are only one of a handful of plants that can flourish in the freezing cold temperatures of the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia. Their unique characteristics are some of the reasons why they are now endangered
The Puya flowers once every eighty to one hundred years and then dies. Millions of seeds are produced by a single plant which are small so they may be blown on the wind. However seeds will only grow in certain places and the exact reasons why this should be the case still eludes botonists. Therefore only a few seeds will actually germinate and reach maturity.
The Puya grows in isolated pockets in only three places in the Andes mountains between Bolivia and Peru, the most famous being Huascarán National Park in Peru. The main threat to the Puya's survival is from the local population who use them to feed their animals. Grazing animals eat or trample on young plants and fires are used to create pasture land for their cattle. The bark of the Puya is used as wood to make furniture or burn as fuel. The spiky leaves are also used to make fences.
Climate change is another possible threat to the Puya, with the glaciers of the Andes of Peru being affected. The change in conditions could affect the flowering process of these plants as well as seeds which will not germinate if the conditions are too wet.
The Puya Raimondii is already a protected species of plant under Peruvian law. Conservationists have asked the Peruvian government to publicise these plants internationally and the areas where they grow as a tourist attraction.
There are only about a dozen plants growing in botanical gardens worldwide, with Berkeley botanical gardens in America being the most famous. Berkeley were able to grow two Puya Raimondii to the flowering stage in 1986 and 2014. An interesting fact was the Puya in Berkeley gardens flowered when they were less than twenty years old. The publicity raised awarness of these plants and seeds that have been collected are being sent to botanical gardens around the world. The hope is that the species unique appearance and characteristics may make eventually make it popular among gardeners.
The Puya Raimondii is now the subject of conservation efforts from around the world with the hope that they will be successful in the future.
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