Puya is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae. It is the sole genus of the subfamily Puyoideae, and is composed of 226 species.[1] [2]
The species Puya raimondii is notable as the largest species of bromeliad known, reaching 3 m tall in vegetative growth with a flower spike 9–10 m tall. The other species are also large, with the flower spikes mostly reaching 1–4 m tall.
The name Puya was derived from the Mapuche Indian word meaning "point".
The genus is commonly divided into two subgenera, Puya, containing eight species, and Puyopsis containing the remainder. The subgenera can be distinguished by the presence of a sterile inflorescence at the branch apex in Puya, which are fertile in Puyopsis.[2]
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[3]
| Subgenus | Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puya | Puya alpestris | Chile | |
| Puya × berteroniana (P. alpestris subsp. zoellneri × P. venusta) | Chile | ||
| Puya boliviensis | Chile (Antofagasta) | ||
| Puya castellanosii | Argentina (Salta) | ||
| Puya chilensis | Chile | ||
| Puya gilmartiniae | Chile (Coquimbo) | ||
| Puya raimondii | Bolivia and Peru | ||
| Puya weddelliana | Bolivia (Chuquisaca, Tarija) | ||
| Puyopsis | Puya adscendens | Peru | |
| Puya aequatorialis | Ecuador | ||
| Puya alata | Bolivia | ||
| Puya alba | Bolivia (Tarija) | ||
| Puya alpicola | Colombia (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) | ||
| Puya angelensis | Ecuador | ||
| Puya angulonis | Peru | ||
| Puya angusta | Peru | ||
| Puya antioquensis | Colombia (Antioquia) | ||
| Puya araneosa | Peru. | ||
| Puya argentea | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya aristeguietae | Venezuela | ||
| Puya assurgens | Argentina (Jujuy) | ||
| Puya atra | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya barkleyana | Colombia (Santander) | ||
| Puya bermejana | Bolivia (Tarija) to Argentina (NW. Salta) | ||
| Puya bicolor | Colombia | ||
| Puya boopiensis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya boyacana | Colombia (Boyacá | ||
| Puya brachystachya | Colombia (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) | ||
| Puya brackeana | Ecuador | ||
| Puya bravoi | Argentina (Salta) | ||
| Puya brittoniana | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya cahuachensis | Peru | ||
| Puya cajasensis | Ecuador | ||
| Puya cardenasii | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya cardonae | Venezuela (Táchira) | ||
| Puya casmichensis | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya cerrateana | Peru | ||
| Puya claudiae | Bolivia | ||
| Puya clava-herculis | Colombia, Ecuador | ||
| Puya cleefii | Colombia | ||
| Puya cochabambensis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya coerulea | Chile | ||
| Puya colcaensis | Peru | ||
| Puya commixta | Peru (Puno) | ||
| Puya compacta | Ecuador | ||
| Puya coriacea | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya cristata | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya cryptantha | Colombia | ||
| Puya ctenorhyncha | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya cuatrecasasii | Colombia | ||
| Puya cuevae | Ecuador | ||
| Puya cylindrica | Peru | ||
| Puya dasylirioides | Costa Rica | ||
| Puya densiflora | Peru | ||
| Puya depauperata | Peru (Junín) | ||
| Puya dichroa | Colombia | ||
| Puya dodsonii | Ecuador | ||
| Puya dolichostrobila | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya donneriana | Bolivia | ||
| Puya dyckioides | Argentina, Bolivia | ||
| Puya elviragrossiae | Bolivia | ||
| Puya entre-riosensis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya erlenbachiana | Bolivia (Tarija) | ||
| Puya eryngioides | Ecuador | ||
| Puya exigua | Ecuador (Azuay) | ||
| Puya exuta | Columbia | ||
| Puya fastuosa | Peru (Cajamarca) | ||
| Puya ferox | Peru (Puno) | ||
| Puya ferreyrae | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya ferruginea | Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru | ||
| Puya fiebrigii | Bolivia | ||
| Puya floccosa | Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela | ||
| Puya fosteriana | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya fulgens | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya furfuracea | Colombia (Valle del Cauca) | ||
| Puya gargantae | Colombia (Norte de Santander) | ||
| Puya gerd-muelleri | Peru (Cajamarca) | ||
| Puya gerdae | Peru (Lima) | ||
| Puya gigas | Colombia | ||
| Puya glabrescens | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya glandulosa | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya glareosa | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya glaucovirens | Peru | ||
| Puya glomerifera | Ecuador | ||
| Puya goudotiana | Colombia | ||
| Puya gracilis | Peru | ||
| Puya grafii | Venezuela (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya grandidens | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya grantii | Colombia | ||
| Puya grubbii | Colombia (Boyacá) | ||
| Puya guaramacalana | Venezuela (Trujillo) | ||
| Puya gutteana | Peru (Cusco) | ||
| Puya hamata | Colombia, Ecuador, Peru | ||
| Puya harmsii | Argentina | ||
| Puya harry-lutheri | Venezuela | ||
| Puya herrerae | Peru | ||
| Puya herzogii | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya hirtzii | Ecuador | ||
| Puya hofstenii | Bolivia to Argentina (Jujuy) | ||
| Puya horrida | Colombia | ||
| Puya hortensis | Peru (Huancavelica) | ||
| Puya hoxeyi | Peru | ||
| Puya hromadnikii | Bolivia | ||
| Puya huancavelicae | Peru (Huancavelica) | ||
| Puya humilis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya hutchisonii | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya ibischii | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya iltisiana | Peru (Apurímac) | ||
| Puya isabellina | Peru (Cajamarca) | ||
| Puya joergensenii | Ecuador | ||
| Puya killipii | Colombia, Venezuela | ||
| Puya kuntzeana | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya laccata | Peru (Huánuco) | ||
| Puya lanata | Ecuador, Peru | ||
| Puya lanuginosa | Peru | ||
| Puya larae | Bolivia | ||
| Puya lasiopoda | Bolivia, Peru | ||
| Puya laxa | Bolivia (Santa Cruz) | ||
| Puya lehmanniana | Colombia | ||
| Puya leptostachya | Peru (Cusco) to Bolivia | ||
| Puya lilloi | Argentina | ||
| Puya lineata | Colombia | ||
| Puya llatensis | Peru (Huánuco) | ||
| Puya loca | Colombia (Cundinamarca) | ||
| Puya lokischmidtiae | Bolivia (Tarija) | ||
| Puya longisepala | Peru (Puno) | ||
| Puya longispina | Ecuador | ||
| Puya longistyla | Peru (Cusco) | ||
| Puya lopezii | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya lutheri | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya macbridei | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya macropoda | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya macrura | Peru | ||
| Puya maculata | Ecuador | ||
| Puya mariae | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya medica | Peru | ||
| Puya membranacea | Peru (Cusco) | ||
| Puya meziana | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya micrantha | Argentina (Jujuy, Salta), Bolivia | ||
| Puya mima | Peru (Cajamarca) | ||
| Puya minima | Bolivia (Tarija) | ||
| Puya mirabilis | Argentina, Bolivia | ||
| Puya mitis | Peru | ||
| Puya mollis | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya mucronata | Peru | ||
| Puya nana | Bolivia (Santa Cruz) | ||
| Puya navarroana | Ecuador | ||
| Puya nigrescens | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya nitida | Colombia | ||
| Puya nivalis | Colombia (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) | ||
| Puya novarae | Argentina (Salta) | ||
| Puya nutans | Ecuador | ||
| Puya obconica | Ecuador | ||
| Puya occidentalis | Colombia (Valle del Cauca) | ||
| Puya ochroleuca | Colombia (Antioquia) | ||
| Puya olivacea | Bolivia (Santa Cruz) | ||
| Puya oxyantha | Peru (Puno) | ||
| Puya pachyphylla | Bolivia (Santa Cruz) | ||
| Puya parviflora | Ecuador | ||
| Puya pattersoniae | Ecuador | ||
| Puya paupera | Bolivia (Tarija) | ||
| Puya pearcei | Bolivia. | ||
| Puya penduliflora | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya pichinchae | Ecuador (Pichincha) | ||
| Puya pitcairnioides | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya pizarroana | Bolivia | ||
| Puya ponderosa | Peru (Ayacucho) | ||
| Puya potosina | Bolivia | ||
| Puya pratensis | Peru | ||
| Puya prosanae | Bolivia | ||
| Puya pseudoeryngioides | Peru | ||
| Puya pusilla | Bolivia | ||
| Puya pygmaea | Ecuador | ||
| Puya pyramidata | Peru | ||
| Puya ramonii | Peru (Lambayeque) | ||
| Puya ramosissima | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya rauhii | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya reducta | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya reflexiflora | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya retrorsa | Ecuador | ||
| Puya riparia | Brazil (La Paz) | ||
| Puya robin-fosteri | Peru | ||
| Puya roezlii | Peru | ||
| Puya roldanii | Colombia (Antioquia) | ||
| Puya roseana | Ecuador (Loja) | ||
| Puya rusbyi | Bolivia (La Paz) | ||
| Puya sagasteguii | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya sanctae-crucis | Bolivia (Santa Cruz) | ||
| Puya sanctae-martae | Colombia | ||
| Puya santanderensis | Colombia (Santander) | ||
| Puya santosii | Colombia (Cundinamarca) | ||
| Puya secunda | Bolivia | ||
| Puya sehuencasensis | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya serranoensis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya silvae-baccae | Venezuela (Zulia) | ||
| Puya simulans | Peru (La Libertad) | ||
| Puya smithii | Argentina | ||
| Puya sodiroana | Ecuador | ||
| Puya solomonii | Bolivia | ||
| Puya spathacea | Argentina, Bolivia | ||
| Puya stenothyrsa | Bolivia | ||
| Puya stipitata | Peru (Huánuco) | ||
| Puya strobilantha | Peru (Junín) | ||
| Puya textoragicolae | Peru (Puno) | ||
| Puya thomasiana | Colombia to Ecuador | ||
| Puya tillii | Ecuador | ||
| Puya tovariana | Peru (Lima) | ||
| Puya trianae | Venezuela to Ecuador | ||
| Puya tristis | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya trollii | Bolivia | ||
| Puya tuberosa | Bolivia | ||
| Puya tunarensis | Bolivia (Cochabamba) | ||
| Puya tyleriana | Peru (Ancash) | ||
| Puya ugentiana | Bolivia (Chuquisaca) | ||
| Puya ultima | Bolivia | ||
| Puya valida | Bolivia (Chuquisaca) | ||
| Puya vallo-grandensis | Bolivia | ||
| Puya vargasiana | Peru (Cusco) | ||
| Puya vasquezii | Bolivia | ||
| Puya venezuelana | Colombia, Venezuela | ||
| Puya venusta | Chile | ||
| Puya vervoorstii | Argentina (San Juan) | ||
| Puya vestita | Colombia to Ecuador (Pichincha) | ||
| Puya volcanensis | Argentina (Jujuy, Salta) | ||
| Puya weberbaueri | Bolivia, Peru | ||
| Puya weberiana | Argentina (Salta, Tucumán) | ||
| Puya werneriana | Peru (Junín) | ||
| Puya westii | Ecuador (Loja) to Peru | ||
| Puya wrightii | Peru | ||
| Puya wurdackii | Peru (Amazonas) | ||
| Puya yakespala | Argentina (Salta) | ||
Some species of Puya in Chile, locally known as chagual, are used to make salads from the base of its young leaves or stem. A common species is Puya chilensis.