Common Name: Sapphire Tower
Scientific Name: Puya alpestris
Date Collected: April 15th, 2011
Location: Collected at Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA in the desert area.
Nativity: The Sapphire Tower is native to higher altitude regions of Southern Chile along the slopes of the Andes Mountain Range.
Habitat: P. alpestris grows in areas with relatively dry and well drained soils with plenty of sunlight. This plant does not require a lot of water.
Special Notes: The Puya alpestris is often planted in gardens for ornamental purposes for its beautiful sapphire color that is not seen in the plant kingdom.
Resources: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Bromeliaceae/Puya_alpestris.html
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1328
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/sapphire_tower.htm
hi! do these produce red spiky leaves when it is about to flower? I have one of these OI believe for 15 years in London and it has not yet flowered but produces red leaves once a year, is this a precursor to flowering?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks,
Frances