Blue Mountains Botanic Garden FloraBroadleaf Sugarbush (Protea eximia) Echium Pininana Gippsland Waratah (Telopea oreades) King Protea (Protea cynaroides) Leucospermum cuneiforme Little Prince (Protea cynaroides) Potberg Sugarbush (Protea aurea ssp potbergensis) Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea truncata) Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) Waratah Hybrid (Telopea mongaensis x speciosissima) Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)

Belonging to the family Bromeliaceae, known as Chagual, Puyu and Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), this plant from North and Central Chile, grows in stony, arid areas at altitudes from sea-level to 2,200 metres. It is one of the most cold-hardy Bromeliads.

Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW
Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW

The rare bright turquoise blooms are a sight not to be missed, with their 2 metre tall spikes, the Puya alpestris ssp. zeollneri are colloquially known as ‘sapphire towers’. The plant can take up to seven years to flower, making the magnificent flowering spikes an amazing sight when in bloom.

Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW
Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW

the Garden’s collection of Puyas has grown, with 10 new species planted in the garden. These new additions include Puya raimondii, the largest Puya with flower spikes up to a whopping 15 metres. Puya raimondii only flowers once in its 85-year life span; after flowering, the plant dies.

The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah
Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW
Blue Puya (Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden NSW

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Clade: Tracheophytes
  • Clade: Angiosperms
  • Clade: Monocots
  • Clade: Commelinids
  • Order: Poales
  • Family: Bromeliaceae
  • Genus: Puya
  • Species: Puya alpestris

Blue Mountains Botanic Garden FloraBroadleaf Sugarbush (Protea eximia) Echium Pininana Gippsland Waratah (Telopea oreades) King Protea (Protea cynaroides) Leucospermum cuneiforme Little Prince (Protea cynaroides) Potberg Sugarbush (Protea aurea ssp potbergensis) Puya alpestris subsp zoellneri Tasmanian Waratah (Telopea truncata) Waratah (Telopea speciosissima) Waratah Hybrid (Telopea mongaensis x speciosissima) Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)

Blue Mountains Botanic GardenBlue Mountains Botanic Garden Flora Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Autumn Colours Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Landscape

New South WalesNew South Wales Fauna New South Wales Flora Barunguba Montague Island Blue Mountains Bourke Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Lower North Shore Mount Kaputar National Park Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney