Largest bromeliad

Belonging to the same family as the pineapple (Ananus comosus), the puya, or Queen of the Andes (Puya raimondii) is a rare giant bromeliad native to the high Andes mountains of Bolivia and Peru. Its yucca-like leaves typically stand approximately 3–4 metres (9 feet 9 inches–13 feet 1 inch) off the ground. When the puya blooms, its flower spike, or panicle, reaches 10–12 metres (32 feet 9 inches–39 feet 4 inches) tall with a diameter of up to 2.4 metres (8 feet); extra-large specimens can sometimes grow as tall as 15 metres (49 feet 2 inches). The inflorescence – the largest among all plants based on physical size – can bear in excess of 8,000 small white flowers.

Bromeliads are a diverse family of plants with around 3,475 documented species living predominantly in the Americas (one species has been found in Africa). A defining characteristic of bromeliads are rosettes of tough, often spiky leaves and a propensity for capturing and retaining water. Some bromeliads are epiphytic (air plants) growing on other plants or natural structures, while others, such as the puya, are terrestrial.

Puya raimondii is monocarpic; that means it only flowers once in its lifetime before it dies. It is also the slowest-flowering plant, taking 80–150 years to produce its single bloom.

Larger examples of these enormous inflorescences are so strong that they can support a person climbing up them.