Puya alpestris

sapphire tower
Pretty silvery-green rosettes raise towers in spring of luminous, otherworldly turquoise flowers with orange anthers when mature. Clumping, spiny, tough, hardy. Tolerates pots, rocky slopes.
Puya alpestrisPuya alpestris
height 1–3ft
width 2–6ft
tolerates Coast, Cold, Cool Summers, Drought, Deer , Fog, Pots, Rooftops, Neglect, Wind
water
needs		 Low
water
info		 Ensure good drainage. Allow to dry out between waterings. It may be beneficial to wet the foliage, especially when the soil is hard to reach.
Puyas may need no supplemental irrigation in coastal California once established, especially in foggy areas. They will however look better and grow faster if they are given occasional supplemental water in the dry season.

Native to the Mediterranean climate zone of Chile (where it’s called chagual), this succulent bromeliad tolerates our summer drought, especially in coastal areas.
They will need more summer irrigation in warm, dry places away from the coast.
hardy
to		 17F
exposure Part Sun – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing Low Needs
origin Central Chile
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 8, 9, 14–H1

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

Growing Notes

Perfect for decorating rocky areas, slopes, accenting flats, creating a protective barrier, attracting hummingbirds. Flowering may occur starting when the largest rosette reaches 10 inches tall by 20 inches wide. The flowering rosette dies while side pups continue expanding the clump. Flowers open successively over up to a month. The tower (up to 7’ tall) lasts much longer as fruits develop and ripen.
Be sure to weed around this plant early and consistently as it is difficult to remove well established weeds around its base.

Special Interest

Flora Grubb’s encounter with the flower of Puya alpestris in San Francisco inspired her to move to California to work in gardens.

This species is one of the southernmost naturally occurring members of the tropical bromeliad family, which accounts for its hardiness to cold. The most popular bromeliad in kitchens worldwide is the pineapple, Ananas comosa.