Puya venusta Phil.

  • Authority

    Smith, Lyman B. & Downs, Robert J. 1974. Pitcairnioideae (Bromeliaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 14 (1): 1-658. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Bromeliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Puya venusta Phil.

  • Type

    TYPE. Philippi 940 (holotype, B), near Coquimbo, Chile.

  • Synonyms

    Puya venusta Phil., Pitcairnia venusta Baker, Pitcairnia sphaerocephala Baker, Puya gaudichaudii Mez, Puya coquimbensis Mez

  • Description

    Description - Stem branching, over 4 dm long, the flowering shoot less than 1 m high. Leaves 3 dm or longer; sheaths suborbicular; blades 3 cm wide, densely appressed-lepidote on both sides, canescent, the marginal spines stout, uncinate, 5-7 mm long. Scape erect, 15 mm in diameter at base, lepidote when young, soon glabrous; scape-bracts triangular-ovate, acuminate, laciniate-serrate, deep red-violet. Inflorescence either simple and strobilate or compound with several spiciform lateral racemes; terminal or only raceme globose to short-cylindric, to 12 cm long, the lateral racemes with much fewer flowers than the terminal, spreading, to 10 cm long including the long stipe, dense; primary bracts like the scape-bracts, mostly shorter than the axillary branches. Floral bracts densely imbricate, elliptic, broadly rounded and apiculate, 35 mm long, equaling or exceeding the sepals, thin, deep red-violet, entire or the lowest with a few small teeth; pedicels 7 mm long, slender, tomentose. Sepals oblong, obtuse, 15-20 mm long, tomentose-lepidote at least when young; petals narrowly elliptic, obtuse, to 35 mm long, deep violet, bearing 2 vertical appendages near the base; stamens and pistil slightly shorter than the petals. Capsule globose, shorter than the sepals.

  • Distribution

    Coastal rocks and sand, 5-30 m alt, Coquimbo and Aconcagua, Chile.

    Chile South America| Coquimbo Chile South America| Aconcagua Chile South America|