Sapphire Tower bloomed after 20 years!
Sometimes there are events in nature that we have to wait for.
According to Faradid, one of these events happened in Birmingham, England, where botanists were excitedly waiting for the flowering of a plant called Sapphire Tower.
Puya alpestri from the Chilean Andes can take up to 10 years to flower.
This plant is a member of the bromeliad or pineapple family. Commonly found in the mountains above 2,200 meters, this plant relies on hummingbirds to pollinate its flowers.
But in the greenhouse at Birmingham Botanic Gardens, botanists use brushes for pollination. The flowers are a stunning metallic turquoise color with orange anthers and are nestled between dark green leaves and spines.
Each flower lasts only a few days. In the absence of natural pollinators, we use hand pollination instead of hummingbirds.
This plant has been in this collection for 20 years and it is thought that it flowers only between 10 days and two weeks, and in this short period, we have the opportunity to enjoy the rare and spectacular view of the flowers of this plant.
This plant grows very slowly, so seeing it flower is a rare and exciting event.
Unfortunately, this plant is monocarpic; It means that it dies after flowering.
We hope that brush pollination of the flowers of this plant to obtain the seeds will allow us to ensure the presence of this wonderful species in the collection for generations to come.
