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] These terrestrial plants are native to the Andes Mountains of South America and southern Central America.
Puya, genus of South American plants of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae) that contains about 200 species, including the tallest bromeliads. P. gigas (P. raimondii), native to northern South America, grows to more than 10 m (about 33 feet) tall and forms a flower stalk nearly 5.4 m tall.
Puya chilies are typically used dried, so they are picked late into their maturity. This leads to the rich crimson red to the almost purple color you see in the chili. Dried, the puya is flat and slightly curved, three to four inches in length.
Puya is a little known bromeliad from South and Central America that grow as an unassuming but thorny twisted leaf mass, but also some of the most spectacular plants in the plant kingdom. The following article is an introduction to some of the more impressive as well as common species of Puyas grown in cultivation.
There are about 199 species within the Puya genus. Puyas are hardy because of where they grow naturally. They are found in the high elevations of the Andes Mountains throughout South America. Only two species found in Costa Rica are not included in the South American range.
The genus Puya is a large group of South American bromeliads, with 168 species listed in a 1974 monograph. Many species of Puya have showy inflorescences and unusual flower colors, and Puya spathacea, from north-central Argentina, is an excellent example.