Puya raimondii (Queen of the Andes)

plants · Andes mountains · giant flowers

Tallest bromeliad ever. Puya raimondii holds the crown as the largest bromeliad species in the world, with flower stalks that can reach up to 50 feet tall, about as high as a five-story building!

Lives in the Andes. This spectacular plant grows only in the high mountains of Bolivia and Peru, where it thrives in the cool, misty air near the clouds.

Part of the bromeliad family. Bromeliads are a family of tropical plants that includes pineapples and air plants, and the Queen of the Andes is their giant cousin.

Slow growing marvel. This plant takes decades to grow and can live for over a hundred years, patiently building up its massive flower stalk before finally blooming.

Stunning when it blooms. When it finally flowers, thousands of tiny blooms cover the enormous stalk, creating one of nature's most breathtaking displays high in the mountains.