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Puya chilensis

Common name:		Family:	Bromeliaceae
Author:	Molina.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Puya coarctata ((Ruiz.&Pav.)Fisch. non Phil.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America - Chile.
Habitat:	Arid hillsides in the Andes, often spreading across large areas[260].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Cardon [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Bromeliales. Bromeliad family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Chile

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 2m by 2m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Birds. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Very young shoots are eaten in salads[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Cork; Fibre; Gum.

A fibre from the leaves is used in making nets[46, 61].
A soft material obtained from the stems is used to make corks and bungs[64].
A gum is obtained from the plant as a result of insect damage[46, 61, 64].

Cultivation details

Requires a hot dry position[166]. Requires a lime-free soil[200]. Requires a sheltered well-drained position[260].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain. However, plants can tolerate infrequent short-lived frosts down to about -5°c[200, 260] and can be grown outdoors in the mildest parts of the country[166]. They are growing well at Probus Gardens in &ndndndnd where they survived temperatures lower than -6°c in the winter of 1995 - 6[K].
The leaves have large, viciously hooked spines[260].
Is the plant monocarpic[1]? A self-sterile species, it is pollinated by birds in the wild. In cultivation, cross-pollination with P. alpestris can be effective[260].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of offsets in the spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Bromeliaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[64] Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

Puya chilensis

Ralf Sun Dec 16 16:41:16 2001

Puya raymondii (grows in the Peruan Andes up to 4,000 metres and is up to 4 metres high) is also used for cork and the production of "chagual gum". The plant is also used to make fish hooks. Ralf

Details of Growing Condition: Peruan Andes, up to 4,000 metres.

Cross references: Plants: Puya raymondii. Genera: Puya.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.