Puya spp - Bromeliad
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 15, 2009
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Puya, growing at the Quito Botanical Gardens, Quito, Pichincha Province. This genus, which contains about 180 species, contains the bromeliads found in the high-altitude Paramos of the Andean mountain range. Puya are both the largest bromeliads, with leaves up to 3m and blooming spikes up to 10 meters, and the most cold-hardy ones, as they grow in areas that commonly receive snow. Puya are also unique among bromeliads in that some species are semi-carnivorous - the sharp, retropointed spines serve to trap small animals and birds, which then decay and provide both moisture and nutrients to the plants. In Chile, this has led to the plants being nicknamed “Sheep-killers.”
The Puya pictured is common to the Ecuadorean Paramos, and has delicate turquoise flowers.
Tags: bromeliaceae, terrestrial
Dieffenbachia spp.
Posted by: The Lorax in: ● June 14, 2009
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Dieffenbachia spp. growing at the Municipal Gardens, Puyo, Pastaza Province. The gardener told me that this plant was taken from the forest near Canelos, about an hour downriver from Puyo; this would make me think that it’s a species, rather than a cultivar, of Dieffenbachia; it’s a variegation pattern that I have only seen in Pastaza. Sisters to this plant were a great deal taller, reaching to the second balcony of the enclosed garden.
In the wild, Dieffenbachia are found growing in nearly full shade in the understory of the forest. The most common areas to encounter them are almost constantly moist, with loose, free-draining soils. In cultivation, Dieffenbachia are normally grown in full sun, which seems to stunt the size of the leaves.
These plants are commonly called “Dumb Cane” for their calcium oxalate content - chewing on them is not advisable, a commonsense precaution with all aroids. They’re extremely popular houseplants in temperate zones, and have been for at least 100 years. In Ecuador, they’re regarded as attractive landscaping plants, and are used medicinally as a cure for the bite of bullet ants (called “conga” here) - the sap is applied topically to the site of the bite to reduce the pain associated with the bite.
