Puya alpicola L.B.Sm.

  • 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 alpicola L.B.Sm.

  • Type

    TYPE. Cuatrecasas 24547 (holotype, US), open rocky paramo, Laguna de Calocribe (east of Meollaca), Hoya del Río Donachuí, southeastern slopes of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 3600-3700 m alt, Magdalena, Colombia, 30 Sep 1959.

  • Description

    Description - Plant flowering over 8 dm high. Leaves to 3 dm long; sheaths suborbicular, 6 cm wide, white and entire except for the castaneous serrulate apex; blades 25 mm wide, densely appressed-cinereous-lepidote on both sides, finally becoming glabrous above, laxly serrate with flat brown straight or slightly curved spines 3 mm long. Scape about 15 mm in diameter, cinereous-lanate; scape-bracts very densely imbricate, the lowest subfoliaceous, the highest lance-ovate, acuminate, obscurely serrulate, subcoriaceous with thin crisped margins when dry. Inflorescence (fruiting) simple, 25 cm long, showing vestiges of a dense cinereous tomentum except on the petals. Floral bracts like the upper scape-bracts, 8 cm long, much exceeding the flowers; pedicels obconic, 10 mm long. Sepals lance-oblong, acute, 28 mm long, coriaceous.

  • Distribution

    Known from the type collection only.

    Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America|