The Puya Raimondii

It feels odd to be writing another post about plants, but the local species here in Ancash have been impressing us mightily. Fear not, we’ll return to mountain ramblings soon!

Cycling from Huallanca to Catac in July we pedalled past the clump of Puya Raimondiis near Carpa. This incredible plant is (according to Wikipedia) the largest bromeliad in the world, with a gigantic inflorescence that can reach 10m tall, with more than 3 thousand flowers and 6 million seeds.

We took an hour’s rest from our cycle to get a close-up look at the species.

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Cycling past the Puya Raimondii at Carpa.

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Exploring the Puya Raimondii in a little more depth.

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Good for making barbed horns.

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And tutus too.

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One flowering, and that’s it. Kaput.

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Spiky fronds that will slice open your shins (if, like us, you’re not careful enough).

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More impressive spikes.

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Yikes! These are some serious weapons.

Puya Raimondii barbs

In the past locals were apparently not averse to cutting down these giant Puya because the spiky barbs caused so many injuries to their sheep and cattle.

 

4 thoughts on “The Puya Raimondii

    1. Neil and Harriet Post author

      They’re a rare breed! Only a couple of spots in the Negra and another couple in the Blanca where the conditions are to their liking.
      Plants are good to a point, but the nevados always win long-term!

    1. Neil and Harriet Post author

      Hi Felix,
      They’re in Quebrada Pumapampa (just south of Catac), 5km east of the Carpa checkpost (for Parque Nacional Huascaran).
      Hope you make it there!
      Neil

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