Puya alpestris is an unusual plant I came across at the Huntington Library. Better known as the sapphire tower, it’s a drought-tolerant evergreen native to the dry hills and rocky slopes of central and southern Chile. In spring, it blooms with striking deep blue-green flowers that almost look metallic in the sunlight. The color is so vivid it’s hard to believe it’s real. Hummingbirds are drawn to the blooms, adding even more life and movement to this fascinating plant.
我在亨廷頓圖書館偶然看到了這種奇特的植物－高山龍舌鳳梨。它更為人所知的名字是藍寶石塔，是一種耐旱的常綠植物，原產於智利中南部乾燥的山丘和岩石斜坡上。春天，它會開出引人注目的深藍綠色花朵，在陽光下幾乎呈現出金屬光澤。它的顏色鮮豔，令人難以置信是真花。蜂鳥會被它的花朵吸引，為這種迷人的植物增添了更多生氣和變化。
Photo Date: 2021.05.06 Location: The Huntington Library
Photo Date: 2022.04.07 Location: The Huntington Library
Notes 筆記
- Puya alpestris is better known as the Sapphire Towers.
- Puya alpestris is one of the few Puya species that are grown in some parks and gardens as an ornamental plant. It is native to dry hills, rock outcrops in central and southern Chile at elevations of 0 to 2200 meters.
- Puya alpestris grows as a xerophytic, perennial plant. The prickly arching leaves are beautiful themselves, 4-5 foot tall rosettes of curving, spiny-margined, light green leaves that are silver-gray beneath. Leaves are 1-2 inches wide at their base and 2-3 feet long. In the spring Puya alpestris produces this Sapphire tower of blooms. This is a most extraordinary color with the deepest sapphire blue and a green overtone. The flower spike is about 6’ tall and the branches have flowerless tips that act as perches for hummingbirds that pollinate the flowers.
- Puya alpestris is an evergreen that is drought tolerant with low water needs. Grow in full sun or part shade, can stand temperatures up to 100°F.
- 高山龍舌鳳梨俗名是藍寶石塔。
- 高山龍舌鳳梨是少數在被種植在公園和花園中作為觀賞植物的普亞鳳梨屬的物種之一。 它原產於智利中部和南部海拔 0 至 2200 公尺的乾旱丘陵和地表岩石。
- 高山龍舌鳳梨是一種旱生多年生植物。它那帶刺的拱形葉片本身就十分美麗，4-5 英尺高的蓮座狀葉叢由彎曲、邊緣帶刺的淺綠色葉片組成，葉片背面呈銀灰色。 葉子的根部寬 1-2 英寸，長 2-3 英尺。 在春季，高山龍舌鳳梨會開出如藍寶石般璀璨的花朵。 這種花朵顏色極為獨特，有很深的寶藍色並帶有淡淡的綠色調。 花穗高約 6 英尺，枝條頂端沒有花朵，為前來授粉的蜂鳥提供了棲息之所。
- 高山龍舌鳳梨是一種常綠植物，耐旱且需水量低。可在全日照或半陰環境下生長，可耐受高達 100°F（38°C）的高溫。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Puya alpestris
Plants Posts 植物的帖子
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